Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Caranavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Caranavi: $609 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Caranavi
Learn more

Caranavi Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Caranavi

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Caranavi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $609 in Caranavi.

Phuket $1,278
Caranavi $609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $883 in Caranavi.

Phuket $2,216
Caranavi $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,157 in Caranavi.

Phuket $3,154
Caranavi $1,157

Living in Phuket is roughly 110% more expensive than in Caranavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Caranavi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.41 BOB 16.88

217.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$9.38 BOB 112

245.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.04 BOB 48.37

118.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.70 BOB 20.41

66.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.41 BOB 4.88

112.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.29 BOB 3.44

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.85 BOB 10.19

201.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.31 BOB 27.61

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.74 BOB 8.91

124.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.82 BOB 9.86

78.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.79 BOB 9.49

89.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.50 BOB 5.96

318.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$3.60 BOB 43.10

429.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$1.12 BOB 13.36

194.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$3.47 BOB 41.50

214.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.61 BOB 19.25

81.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.53 BOB 6.35

218.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.48 BOB 5.77

368.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.69 BOB 8.21

201.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.56 BOB 6.68

169.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.41 BOB 4.89

236.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.54 BOB 6.48

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.58 BOB 6.90

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.88 BOB 22.46

123.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.00 BOB 35.89

526.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.25 BOB 14.92

45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.58 BOB 18.93

79.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.31 BOB 3.76

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$8.54 BOB 102

563.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.86 BOB 10.25

251.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.81 BOB 9.69

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.39 BOB 100

-56.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.49 BOB 5.91

200.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$8,271 BOB 99.0K

223.75%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$12.2K BOB 145.7K

119.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$23.22 BOB 278

314.94%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.24 BOB 171

-20.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.45 BOB 221

-8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$8.19 BOB 98.0

720.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.58 BOB 151

-14.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.78 BOB 45.25

98.41%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$85.4 BOB 1,023

457.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,299 BOB 15.6K

766.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$15.95 BOB 191

290.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$17.53 BOB 210

62.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$29.62 BOB 355

218.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$34.91 BOB 418

145.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$514 BOB 6,150

39.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$332 BOB 3,971

47.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$686 BOB 8,214

180.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$558 BOB 6,682

156.29%

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

$207 BOB 2,480

142.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.94

-29.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caranavi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Caranavi

$332 54.5% 32.4% $159

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Caranavi

$91 15% 65.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Caranavi

$56 9.2% 55.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Caranavi

$44 7.2% 63.8% $78

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Caranavi

$56 9.1% 54.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Caranavi

$16 2.6% 80.8% $66

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Caranavi

$15 2.4% 79.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $514 in Caranavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $9 in Caranavi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $91 per month, with Caranavi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇴 Caranavi

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

07:10 7:10 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,569

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 BOB = 8.35 USD

100 BOB = 7.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, 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).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.97 BOB (100 BOB = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13.32 BOB (100 BOB = 7.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Caranavi 18,250 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Caranavi

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 Caranavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caranavi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $514 in Caranavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caranavi – a meal for two runs $9 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $609 in Caranavi – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $609 in Caranavi versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Caranavi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Caranavi 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Caranavi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Caranavi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.