Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bissau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $814 in Bissau.

Phuket $1,294
Bissau $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,314 in Bissau.

Phuket $2,204
Bissau $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,813 in Bissau.

Phuket $3,115
Bissau $1,813

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Bissau 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$5.01 F CFA 2,922

-12.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

25.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$9.31 F CFA 5,433

-6.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$1.71 F CFA 1,000

59.06%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.05 F CFA 611

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.87 F CFA 508

-42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$0.71 F CFA 416

256.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.68 F CFA 981

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.91 F CFA 533

59.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$5.08 F CFA 2,963

-57.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$14.22 F CFA 8,302

34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$13.39 F CFA 7,816

-74.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$13.77 F CFA 8,038

-20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$4.14 F CFA 2,414

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.04 F CFA 605

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$4.27 F CFA 2,494

-48.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$0.18 F CFA 104

1077.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.33 F CFA 777

9.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.37 F CFA 800

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.26 F CFA 734

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.78 F CFA 3,956

169.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.31 F CFA 766

35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$0.86 F CFA 503

234.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.52 F CFA 304

178.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

116.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.43 F CFA 833

4.20%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

-16.37%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

-8.92%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$103 F CFA 60.2K

-5.22%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

-66.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

-62.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

62.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$759 F CFA 443.2K

-30.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

716.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$516 F CFA 301.3K

39.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$168 F CFA 97.8K

203.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$843 F CFA 492.1K

131.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$431 F CFA 251.7K

223.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$1,042 F CFA 608.3K

-52.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $516 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau 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 $26 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $294, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bissau 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $814 in Bissau, so Bissau is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $721 in Phuket versus $516 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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.