Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arima

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Arima: $1,278 and $1,273 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Arima
Learn more

Arima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arima

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 Arima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,273 in Arima, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Arima $1,273

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,161 in Arima, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Arima $2,161

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,049 in Arima, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Arima $3,049

Phuket and Arima have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Phuket and Arima are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Arima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.24 TTD 68.7

-56.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$74.8 TTD 502

-56.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.91 TTD 59.8

-1.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.63 TTD 24.34

-22.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.04 TTD 6.96

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.72 TTD 4.84

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.81 TTD 12.15

41.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.91 TTD 19.53

26.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.39 TTD 16.05

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.44 TTD 16.40

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.80 TTD 18.78

-46.43%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.41 TTD 29.56

-52.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.49 TTD 43.52

193.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.67 TTD 44.76

-50.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.20 TTD 61.8

18.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.38 TTD 36.08

-45.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.24 TTD 15.06

-24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.61 TTD 24.23

-37.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.77 TTD 32.02

-56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.34 TTD 8.96

12.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.03 TTD 6.89

33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.36 TTD 9.14

-21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.96 TTD 6.48

-45.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.76 TTD 31.95

-11.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.44 TTD 130

-3.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.83 TTD 12.28

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.10 TTD 20.79

-8.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.04 TTD 6.99

39.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.72 TTD 4.84

319.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.71 TTD 4.73

43.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$15.02 TTD 101

-75.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.13 TTD 7.57

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.4K TTD 183.9K

-2.32%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$36.4K TTD 244.1K

-26.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$91.2 TTD 612

5.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$44.14 TTD 296

-74.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$55.5 TTD 372

-69.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$51.5 TTD 345

30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.61 TTD 57.8

-12.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$180 TTD 1,211

163.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.7K TTD 72.1K

4.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$62.5 TTD 419

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$43.47 TTD 292

-34.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$144 TTD 969

-34.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$72.7 TTD 488

18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$510 TTD 3,422

40.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$372 TTD 2,495

32.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,048 TTD 7,030

83.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$895 TTD 6,007

59.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,200 TTD 8,052

-58.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Arima

$372 29.2% 24.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Arima

$314 24.6% 17.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Arima

$191 15% 53.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arima

$145 11.4% 19.3% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arima

$174 13.7% 43.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Arima

$69 5.4% 16.5% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Arima

$8.4 * 0.7% 88.1% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $510 in Arima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arima are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $75 in Arima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $314 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

19:08 7:08 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Arima 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Arima

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 Arima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,909 in Arima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $510 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $75 in Arima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,273 in Arima. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Arima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.