Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bayamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,495 in Bayamo, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Bayamo
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,495
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bayamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,495 in Bayamo.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Bayamo $1,495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,078 in Bayamo.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Bayamo $2,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,662 in Bayamo.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Bayamo $2,662

Living in Phuket costs roughly 19% less than in Bayamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Bayamo is 10% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$3.19 CUP 76.7
37.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$49.86 CUP 1,197
-35.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$6.87 CUP 165
27.51%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$3.30 CUP 79.1
-14.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$1.45 CUP 34.73
-37.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$1.08 CUP 25.82
-56.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$2.02 CUP 48.52
26.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$1.71 CUP 41.16
123.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$2.96 CUP 71.1
-41.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$0.99 CUP 23.67
48.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$3.03 CUP 72.6
-50.17%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$3.64 CUP 87.4
-40.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$5.91 CUP 142
233.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$5.86 CUP 141
-43.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$11.89 CUP 285
-6.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$5.01 CUP 120
-43.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$1.18 CUP 28.39
44.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$1.54 CUP 36.92
42.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$1.49 CUP 35.67
37.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$2.06 CUP 49.33
-29.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$3.03 CUP 72.6
-54.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$1.02 CUP 24.46
4.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$1.09 CUP 26.12
-53.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$3.92 CUP 94.1
8.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$9.84 CUP 236
88.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$1.97 CUP 47.40
-9.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$1.96 CUP 47.06
45.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
$0.18 CUP 4.27
1155.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
$35.49 CUP 852
-37.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$2.30 CUP 55.3
30.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$0.41 CUP 9.91
158.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$19.86 CUP 477
-80.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.23 CUP 29.42
17.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$76.0K CUP 1.8M
-65.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$90.5K CUP 2.2M
-70.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$29.76 CUP 714
223.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$9.84 CUP 236
12.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$251 CUP 6,013
-93.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$39.21 CUP 941
33.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
$9.84 CUP 236
13.41%
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$1.01 CUP 24.30
673.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$96.4 CUP 2,313
476.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
$14.8K CUP 354.8K
-21.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$19.61 CUP 471
227.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$25.03 CUP 601
14.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$69.5 CUP 1,668
37.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$55.2 CUP 1,325
59.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
$418 CUP 10.0K
76.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
$680 CUP 16.3K
-32.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$581 CUP 13.9K
260.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$960 CUP 23.0K
25.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$396 CUP 9,497
781.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
$352 CUP 8,441
617.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bayamo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
$19.86 CUP 477
2421.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6
-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bayamo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Bayamo
$680 47.1% $218
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Bayamo
$257 4.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Bayamo
$290 133% $166
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Bayamo
$76 38.7% $48
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Bayamo
$109 9.8% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Bayamo
$41 39.2% $27
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Bayamo
$41 2.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $418 in Bayamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 2421% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $50.0 in Bayamo. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $257, with Bayamo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇺 Bayamo
🕒 Local time
21:36 9:36 PM
10:36 10:36 AM
11 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
225,567
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bayamo 16,830 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bayamo

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 Bayamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bayamo cheaper than Phuket?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in transport and utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Bayamo?
Average pay runs 2421% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Bayamo?
Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $418 in Bayamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Bayamo?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $50.0 in Bayamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Bayamo?
All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,495 in Bayamo – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Bayamo?
At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,495 in Bayamo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bayamo. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Bayamo more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bayamo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Bayamo?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Bayamo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Bayamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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