Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alcala la Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,579 in Alcala la Real, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Alcala la Real
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Alcala la Real Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Alcala la Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alcala la Real

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Alcala la Real actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,579 in Alcala la Real.

Phuket $1,207
Alcala la Real $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Alcala la Real.

Phuket $2,037
Alcala la Real $2,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,128 in Alcala la Real.

Phuket $2,867
Alcala la Real $3,128

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Alcala la Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Alcala la Real is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.37 €11.89

-65.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$68.1 €60.6

-52.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.00 €8.00

-5.00%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.84 €1.64

47.83%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.12 €1.89

-55.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.61 €1.43

-69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.97 €2.64

-12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.47 €3.08

10.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.14 €1.01

52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.68 €1.50

-14.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.57 €1.40

-2.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.21 €2.86

-32.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.48 €11.99

42.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$8.29 €7.38

-60.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$15.95 €14.19

-30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.38 €2.11

23.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.98 €1.76

-15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.88 €1.67

22.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.61 €2.32

-18.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.84 €1.64

-16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.08 €1.85

-34.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.75 €0.67

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.68 €5.94

-36.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.94 €5.29

206.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.17 €1.04

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.97 €1.75

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.65 €1.47

34.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$32.65 €29.04

-32.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.66 €1.48

75.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.06 €0.94

-4.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$14.75 €13.12

-74.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.82 €1.62

-18.13%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.7K €31.7K

-25.22%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$28.7K €25.6K

-7.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$99.4 ฿3,321

$118 €105

-15.79%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.28 ฿377

$16.13 €14.35

-30.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$32.94 €29.30

-47.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$44.43 €39.52

17.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$15.82 €14.08

-31.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.02 €7.14

-5.61%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$558 ฿18.7K

$552 €491

1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$8,151 €7,251

40.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$89.9 €80.0

-30.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$38.88 €34.58

-26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$96.9 €86.2

-0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$112 €99.7

-21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$891 €793

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$693 €616

-33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,345 €1,196

55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,008 €897

21.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,283 €2,921

5.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,174 €1,934

14.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.34

66.77%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alcala la Real: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Alcala la Real

$693 43.9% 50.6% $233

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Alcala la Real

$268 17% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Alcala la Real

$167 10.6% 30.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Alcala la Real

$152 9.6% 22.5% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Alcala la Real

$193 12.2% 58.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Alcala la Real

$60 3.8% 10.3% $7

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Alcala la Real

$46 2.9% 18.8% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $68.0 in Alcala la Real for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Alcala la Real

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,587

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Alcala la Real 10,540 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alcala la Real

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Alcala la Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Alcala la Real differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,579 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $2,368 in Alcala la Real to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 48% less than in Alcala la Real. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $552 in Alcala la Real. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,579 in Alcala la Real, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Alcala la Real. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Alcala la Real are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Alcala la Real. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.