Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Benidorm

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,707 in Benidorm, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Benidorm

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,707 in Benidorm, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Benidorm $1,707

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,498 in Benidorm, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Benidorm $2,498

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,290 in Benidorm, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Benidorm $3,290

Phuket is about 25% cheaper than Benidorm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Benidorm is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.28 €15.49

-74.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$52.9 €47.44

-38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.28 €11.00

-28.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.32 €2.08

21.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.29 €2.05

-62.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.18 €1.06

-58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.41 €3.06

-24.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.67 €3.29

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.14 €1.02

45.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.30 €1.16

12.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.41 €1.26

6.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.50 €3.14

-40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$10.98 €9.84

73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.10 €7.26

-59.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.68 €14.05

-30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.10 €1.88

39.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.83 €1.64

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.92 €1.72

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.66 €2.38

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.72 €1.54

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.77 €1.59

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.44 €0.39

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.96 €5.34

-29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$5.73 €5.13

227.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.87 €0.78

109.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$0.94 €0.84

202.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.50 €4.03

-32.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.35 €1.21

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$24.26 €21.74

-84.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.72 €1.54

-14.53%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-21.66%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$29.3K €26.3K

-8.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$157 €141

-38.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.38 €14.67

-31.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.55 €20.21

-25.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.78 €9.66

-30.43%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$575 €515

-17.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$9,688 €8,682

16.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$91.2 €81.7

-31.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$42.40 €37.99

-33.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$96.1 €86.2

-1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$119 €106

-27.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,002 €898

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$838 €751

-41.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,766 €1,582

9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,324 €1,186

8.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$5,197 €4,657

-19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,542 €2,278

19.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,785 €1,599

-71.86%

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 Benidorm: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Benidorm

$838 49.1% 70.6% $347

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Benidorm

$243 14.2% 8.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Benidorm

$196 11.5% 57.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Benidorm

$157 9.2% 28.6% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Benidorm

$241 14.1% 98.2% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3% 73.8% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7% 84.1% $59

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 $1,002 in Benidorm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Benidorm are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $53 in Benidorm. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $243 in Benidorm – so Benidorm wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

72,342

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Benidorm 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Benidorm

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 Benidorm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Benidorm is pricier by about 34%, 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 $2,561 in Benidorm. 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 $1,002 in Benidorm.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,707 in Benidorm. That makes Phuket about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $575 in Benidorm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Benidorm at $1,707. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benidorm 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, Benidorm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.