Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Benalmadena

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Benalmadena

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Benalmadena $1,849

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,778 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Benalmadena $2,778

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,707 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Benalmadena $3,707

Phuket is about 31% cheaper than Benalmadena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Benalmadena is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.63 €13.10

-69.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$67.7 €60.6

-52.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.37 €8.39

-5.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.17 €1.95

30.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.13 €1.90

-59.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.11 €1.89

-76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.25 €2.91

-21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.40 €3.94

-16.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.23 €1.10

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.66 €1.49

-12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.82 €1.63

-17.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.32 €2.97

-37.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.32 €13.72

24.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.17 €7.32

-59.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.17 €14.48

-32.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.56 €2.29

14.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.89 €1.70

-10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.80 €1.61

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.45 €2.20

-15.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.85 €1.66

-18.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.05 €1.83

-32.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.44 €1.29

-25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.74 €0.66

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.42 €5.75

-34.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.83 €6.11

175.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.18 €1.06

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.99 €1.78

42.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.02 €1.81

-28.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$30.41 €27.23

86.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.91 €1.71

58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.21 €1.09

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.35 €20.01

-83.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.83 €1.64

-19.67%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-21.68%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$30.9K €27.7K

-13.67%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$140 €125

-31.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.85 €11.51

-12.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$32.12 €28.77

-47.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$48.94 €43.83

37.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.68 €14.04

-31.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.99 €7.16

-6.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$566 €507

-15.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,540 €8,544

18.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$89.3 €80.0

-30.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$39.33 €35.22

-27.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$95.9 €85.9

-1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$114 €102

-24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$945 €847

-24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$910 €815

-46.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,680 €1,504

14.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,504 €1,347

-4.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,126 €3,695

1.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,499 €3,134

-13.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,882 €3,477

-87.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Benalmadena: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Benalmadena

$910 49.3% 85.5% $420

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Benalmadena

$276 14.9% 3.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Benalmadena

$185 10% 48.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Benalmadena

$152 8.2% 25% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Benalmadena

$213 11.5% 75.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Benalmadena

$65 3.5% 21% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Benalmadena

$46 2.5% 34.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $945 in Benalmadena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Benalmadena are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $68 in Benalmadena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $276 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

75,801

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Benalmadena 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Benalmadena

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 Benalmadena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,773 in Benalmadena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $945 in Benalmadena.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Benalmadena, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $68 in Benalmadena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Benalmadena at $1,849. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benalmadena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benalmadena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.