Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bilbao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Phuket $1,278
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Phuket $2,216
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Phuket $3,154
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Phuket costs roughly 41% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Bilbao is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.64 €20.27

-80.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$73.0 €65.4

-55.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.47 €11.17

-29.35%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.67 €2.39

5.99%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.12 €2.79

-72.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.91 €1.71

-74.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.30 €2.96

-22.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.30 €2.96

11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.31 €1.17

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.65 €1.48

-11.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.54 €1.38

-2.60%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.31 €2.97

-36.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.55 €13.93

22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.97 €7.14

-58.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.56 €13.04

-25.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.76 €2.47

6.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.09 €1.87

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.54 €2.28

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.65 €2.38

-21.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.64 €1.47

-7.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.43 €2.18

-43.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.28 €1.14

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.93 €0.83

-44.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.57 €5.89

-36.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.59 €6.80

147.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.51 €1.35

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.59 €2.32

9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.95 €1.75

-25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$50.7 €45.41

11.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.37 €4.81

-43.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.03 €0.92

-0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.32 €28.94

-88.58%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

-19.56%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$32.3K €28.9K

-17.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$145 €130

-33.51%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.91 €17.83

-43.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$29.47 €26.40

-42.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$50.8 €45.51

32.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.21 €13.62

-29.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.18 €9.11

-26.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$534 €478

-10.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$11.7K €10.5K

-3.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$105 €93.7

-40.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.56 €32.74

-22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$76.0 €68.1

24.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$143 €128

-40.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,366 €1,224

-47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,093 €979

-55.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,008 €1,798

-4.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,559 €1,397

-8.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,880 €5,266

-28.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,707 €3,320

-17.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,346 €2,101

-78.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.98

86.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 123% $602

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 6.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bilbao

$194 9% 56.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 33.1% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 141% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 2.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $73 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $283 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

346,096

💱 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 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 Bilbao 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bilbao

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 Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Phuket is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $534 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,166 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.