Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $823 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
Learn more

Babahoyo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $823 in Babahoyo.

Phuket $1,294
Babahoyo $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,324 in Babahoyo.

Phuket $2,204
Babahoyo $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,826 in Babahoyo.

Phuket $3,115
Babahoyo $1,826

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Babahoyo 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.68 $3.68

19.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$40.76 $40.76

-20.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$6.40 $6.40

35.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.78 $2.78

-2.16%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.84 $0.84

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.70 $0.70

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.46 $2.46

2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.92 $3.92

-7.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.05 $1.05

65.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.78 $1.78

-18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.46 $1.46

2.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$2.16 $2.16

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$6.35 $6.35

200.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$5.33 $5.33

-36.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$7.26 $7.26

50.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.81 $1.81

62.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.13 $1.13

49.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.26 $1.26

73.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.08 $1.08

96.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.24 $1.24

17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.08 $1.08

26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.76 $0.76

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.00 $1.00

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$5.38 $5.38

-17.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$8.21 $8.21

122.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.54 $1.54

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.98 $2.98

-3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.34 $0.34

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.39 $1.39

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.33 $1.33

-41.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$9.97 $9.97

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$0.77 $0.77

93.51%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$22.9K $22.9K

17.39%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$30.2K $30.2K

-12.73%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$33.57 $33.57

191.36%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$13.32 $13.32

-15.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$26.39 $26.39

-34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$29.75 $29.75

129.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$16.19 $16.19

-32.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$6.80 $6.80

9.26%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$300 $300

76.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$5,662 $5,662

231.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$59.1 $59.1

4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$45.45 $45.45

-37.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$106 $106

-9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$72.0 $72.0

20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$421 $421

71.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$274 $274

85.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$830 $830

135.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$496 $496

181.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.09

-44.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Babahoyo

$274 33.3% 46.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Babahoyo

$188 22.8% 29.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Babahoyo

$73 8.9% 42% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Babahoyo

$127 15.5% 3.6% $4.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Babahoyo

$108 13.2% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Babahoyo

$43 5.3% 47.9% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Babahoyo

$9.4 * 1.1% 85.8% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $421 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Babahoyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $188, with Babahoyo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

21:54 9:54 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

84,164

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Phuket Babahoyo 19,300 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,234 in Babahoyo 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: $721 in Phuket versus $421 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $300 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Babahoyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Babahoyo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.