Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Caguas

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Caguas $3,539

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Caguas is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$14.74 $14.74

-68.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$82.9 $82.9

-60.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.99 $8.99

-4.89%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.28 $2.28

19.30%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.12 $1.12

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.24 $1.24

-60.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.52 $1.52

70.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.12 $4.12

-7.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.16 $2.16

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.80 $2.80

-48.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.31 $2.31

-33.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.97 $4.97

-56.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.90 $6.90

177.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.13 $9.13

-63.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.99 $11.99

-7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.15 $5.15

-42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.61 $2.61

-35.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.39 $2.39

-3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.53 $4.53

-52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.57 $2.57

-40.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.71 $2.71

-49.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.26 $2.26

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.60 $1.60

-65.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$10.64 $10.64

-59.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$14.03 $14.03

29.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.45 $1.45

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.18 $2.18

27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.98 $1.98

12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$70.3 $70.3

-68.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.44 $2.44

19.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.54 $1.54

-34.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$42.73 $42.73

-91.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.89 $0.89

67.42%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$30.5K $30.5K

-12.66%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

3.59%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$185 $185

-46.34%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$59.9 $59.9

-81.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$56.2 $56.2

-69.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$35.28 $35.28

48.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$50.9 $50.9

-78.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.83 $9.83

-22.99%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$300 $300

86.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$12.3K $12.3K

-6.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$26.14 $26.14

140.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.43 $35.43

-19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$81.1 $81.1

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$115 $115

-23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$752 $752

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$528 $528

-12.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,080 $1,080

94.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$977 $977

25.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,422 $2,422

42.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$849 $849

193.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$3,041 $3,041

-83.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.85

14.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 14.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 25.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 135% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 6.6% $8.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 62.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 127% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $752 in Caguas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 517% higher in Caguas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $336 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

20:16 8:16 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

70,318

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Caguas 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caguas costs about 34% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,432 in Caguas. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,621 in Caguas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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