Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cabo Rojo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Rojo: $1,236 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Cabo Rojo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,236
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cabo Rojo

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,236 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Cabo Rojo $1,236

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,948 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Cabo Rojo $1,948

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,660 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Cabo Rojo $2,660

Phuket costs about 3% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Cabo Rojo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Cabo Rojo 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$10.19 $10.19
-56.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$83.4 $83.4
-61.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.78 $8.78
0.34%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$3.63 $3.63
-22.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$1.85 $1.85
-52.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$1.46 $1.46
-66.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.51 $1.51
69.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.41 $3.41
7.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$2.15 $2.15
-22.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$3.73 $3.73
-60.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.34 $2.34
-35.90%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$7.32 $7.32
-71.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$12.39 $12.39
53.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$9.79 $9.79
-66.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$13.09 $13.09
-16.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$4.96 $4.96
-40.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.65 $2.65
-36.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$4.88 $4.88
-53.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$4.79 $4.79
-56.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$3.83 $3.83
-60.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$3.89 $3.89
-64.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$3.55 $3.55
-69.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$1.66 $1.66
-68.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$11.81 $11.81
-64.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$15.82 $15.82
18.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$3.13 $3.13
-41.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$4.02 $4.02
-29.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.47 $2.47
22.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.47 $1.47
-30.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$42.41 $42.41
-91.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.75 $0.75
96.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$34.2K $34.2K
-21.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$27.7K $27.7K
-3.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$325 $325
-70.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$65.1 $65.1
-82.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$69.1 $69.1
-75.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$10.39 $10.39
-27.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$818 $818
-41.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$12.7K $12.7K
-11.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$55.6 $55.6
12.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$60.4 $60.4
-52.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$108 $108
-12.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$114 $114
-24.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$4,288 $4,288
-88.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.55
-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cabo Rojo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Cabo Rojo
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Cabo Rojo
$416 56.1% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Cabo Rojo
$459 269% $335
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Cabo Rojo
$152 24.6% $30
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Cabo Rojo
$179 47% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Cabo Rojo
$21 * 74.7% $61
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Cabo Rojo
$9.8 * 86.1% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cabo Rojo are about 8.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $83 in Cabo Rojo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $416 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo
🕒 Local time
05:05 5:05 AM
18:05 6:05 PM
11 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
50,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Cabo Rojo 16,720 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Cabo Rojo

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 Cabo Rojo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Cabo Rojo?
Phuket costs about 3% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Cabo Rojo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,854 in Cabo Rojo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Cabo Rojo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. That makes Cabo Rojo about 3% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Phuket and in Cabo Rojo?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $818 in Cabo Rojo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Phuket or in Cabo Rojo?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Cabo Rojo?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,236 in Cabo Rojo to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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