Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Candelaria

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Candelaria: $1,278 and $1,327 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Candelaria

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,327 in Candelaria, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Candelaria $1,327

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,085 in Candelaria, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Candelaria $2,085

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,844 in Candelaria, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Candelaria $2,844

Phuket is about 4% cheaper than Candelaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Candelaria are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Candelaria 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.01 $19.01

-76.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$81.5 $81.5

-60.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.21 $9.21

-4.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.70 $3.70

-23.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.88 $1.88

-53.72%

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

$3.06 $3.06

-16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.97 $4.97

-25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.16 $2.16

-23.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.54 $3.54

-58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.33 $2.33

-35.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.19 $7.19

-70.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.35 $12.35

54.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.91 $9.91

-66.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.47 $13.47

-19.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.11 $5.11

-42.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.57 $2.57

-34.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.82 $4.82

-53.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.87 $4.87

-57.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.71 $3.71

-59.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.97 $3.97

-65.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.38 $3.38

-68.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.66 $1.66

-68.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.10 $12.10

-65.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.81 $15.81

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.12 $3.12

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.09 $4.09

-30.56%

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

$2.46 $2.46

22.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.51 $1.51

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.21 $41.21

-91.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.17 $1.17

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.0K $34.0K

-21.32%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$28.2K $28.2K

-5.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$326 $326

-70.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$68.8 $68.8

-83.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$69.4 $69.4

-75.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.69 $10.69

-29.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$806 $806

-40.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.3K $12.3K

-8.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$55.7 $55.7

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$61.3 $61.3

-53.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$110 $110

-13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$114 $114

-24.89%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Candelaria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Candelaria

$415 31.3% 55.8% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Candelaria

$464 35% 273% $340

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Candelaria

$153 11.6% 25.8% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Candelaria

$263 19.8% 116% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6% 74% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8% 85.8% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $81 in Candelaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $415 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,631

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Candelaria 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Candelaria

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 Candelaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,327 in Candelaria – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,990 in Candelaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,327 in Candelaria. That’s a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $806 in Candelaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,327 in Candelaria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,327 in Candelaria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.