Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,186 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Barcelos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,186 in Barcelos.

Phuket $1,278
Barcelos $1,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,891 in Barcelos.

Phuket $2,216
Barcelos $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,597 in Barcelos.

Phuket $3,154
Barcelos $2,597

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Barcelos 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.76 €10.53

-61.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$48.41 €43.35

-33.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.92 €7.99

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.88 €1.69

50.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.00 €1.79

-56.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.31 €1.17

-62.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.37 €3.02

-24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.76 €2.47

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.09 €0.97

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.79 €1.60

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.65 €1.48

-9.09%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.18 €2.85

-34.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.56 €10.35

64.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.11 €7.27

-59.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.79 €13.25

-26.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.95 €1.75

50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.36 €1.22

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.82 €1.63

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.55 €2.29

-18.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.78 €1.59

-15.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.05 €1.83

-32.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.54 €1.38

-30.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.91 €0.82

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.87 €6.16

-38.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.55 €4.07

312.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.23 €1.10

47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.22 €1.98

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.18 €1.95

-33.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$22.57 €20.22

151.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.23 €3.79

-28.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.41 €1.27

-27.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.57 €14.84

-77.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.11 €1.89

-30.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-21.62%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$37.7K €33.8K

-29.19%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$103 €91.9

-6.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.46 €15.64

-35.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$44.42 €39.78

-62.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$38.27 €34.27

75.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.80 €6.09

57.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.96 €8.02

-16.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$309 €276

54.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,324 €5,663

78.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$73.7 €66.0

-15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.48 €33.57

-24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$79.3 €71.0

18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$105 €93.9

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$494 €443

44.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$359 €321

36.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$901 €807

113.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$713 €639

100.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,689 €2,408

55.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,536 €1,375

98.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,076 €964

-53.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.7

50.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Barcelos

$359 30.3% 26.9% $132

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Barcelos

$252 21.2% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Barcelos

$165 13.9% 32.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Barcelos

$133 11.2% 9% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Barcelos

$179 15.1% 47.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Barcelos

$56 4.7% 31.7% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 39.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $48 in Barcelos. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $252, with Barcelos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

116,766

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Barcelos 10,810 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $48 in Barcelos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Barcelos gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Barcelos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.