Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Caldas da Rainha $1,538

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,340 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Caldas da Rainha $2,340

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,142 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Caldas da Rainha $3,142

Phuket is about 17% cheaper than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Caldas da Rainha is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.40 €13.80

-70.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$50.5 €45.25

-35.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.17 €9.12

-13.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.04 €1.83

38.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.30 €2.06

-62.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.41 €1.26

-65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.86 €2.56

-10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.84 €3.44

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.11 €0.99

49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.44 €1.29

1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.51 €1.36

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.01 €2.70

-30.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.63 €9.52

79.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.38 €6.61

-55.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.87 €11.53

-15.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.94 €1.73

51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.36 €1.22

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.70 €1.53

32.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.41 €2.16

-13.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.94 €1.74

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.84 €1.65

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.27 €1.14

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.85 €0.76

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.56 €4.98

-24.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.00 €3.58

369.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.66 €1.48

9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.63 €1.46

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.56 €3.19

-59.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$33.99 €30.46

66.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.87 €2.57

5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.97 €1.77

-25.38%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$34.0K €30.4K

-21.20%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$37.4K €33.5K

-28.66%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$110 €98.2

-12.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.81 €15.96

-36.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$38.39 €34.40

-56.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$49.37 €44.24

36.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.77 €24.89

-61.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.96 €8.03

-16.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$405 €363

17.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,554 €4,977

102.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$94.2 €84.4

-33.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.21 €36.93

-31.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$110 €99.0

-14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$68.2 €61.1

25.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$919 €824

-22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$666 €596

-26.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,416 €1,269

36.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,136 €1,018

25.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,933 €2,629

42.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,287 €2,050

33.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,147 €1,028

-56.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.11

79.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$666 43.3% 35.6% $175

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$232 15.1% 12.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Caldas da Rainha

$166 10.8% 33.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Caldas da Rainha

$141 9.2% 16% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Caldas da Rainha

$215 14% 76.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$67 4.4% 18.2% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Caldas da Rainha

$51 * 3.3% 27.6% $20

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 $919 in Caldas da Rainha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Caldas da Rainha are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $50 in Caldas da Rainha. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $232 in Caldas da Rainha – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

10:40 10:40 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,917

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Caldas da Rainha 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caldas da Rainha is pricier by about 20%, 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 $2,307 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 $919 in Caldas da Rainha.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $50 in Caldas da Rainha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha. That makes Phuket about 17% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Caldas da Rainha at $1,538. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caldas da Rainha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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