Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,351 in Cascais.

Phuket $1,278
Cascais $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,777 in Cascais.

Phuket $2,216
Cascais $3,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,204 in Cascais.

Phuket $3,154
Cascais $5,204

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cascais is 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.86 €14.21

-71.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$44.62 €39.99

-27.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.49 €8.50

-7.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.69 €2.41

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.16 €1.94

-59.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.21 €1.98

-77.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.30 €2.96

-22.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.49 €4.92

-32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.31 €1.17

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.30 €2.06

-36.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.64 €1.47

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.32 €2.97

-37.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$10.79 €9.67

76.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.02 €6.29

-52.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.08 €13.52

-27.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.84 €2.54

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.51 €1.35

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.55 €2.28

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.25 €2.01

-7.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.56 €1.40

-3.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.29 €2.05

-39.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.71 €1.53

-37.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.06 €0.95

-50.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.70 €5.11

-26.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.73 €6.93

143.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.27 €1.14

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$4.42 €3.96

-35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.19 €1.96

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$45.02 €40.34

25.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.21 €1.98

36.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.06 €1.85

-28.64%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-21.68%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$38.0K €34.0K

-29.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$134 €120

-27.85%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.90 €22.31

-54.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.0 €50.2

-69.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$42.84 €38.39

56.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$11.36 €10.18

-5.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.12 €6.38

5.34%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$839 €752

-43.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$18.6K €16.7K

-39.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$77.5 €69.4

-19.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$37.50 €33.60

-24.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$105 €93.9

-10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$136 €122

-36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,859 €1,666

-61.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,358 €1,217

-63.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$4,213 €3,776

-54.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$3,032 €2,717

-52.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$7,644 €6,850

-45.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,128 €4,596

-40.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,246 €2,013

-77.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.67

51.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8% 177% $867

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cascais

$273 11.6% 2.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cascais

$214 9.1% 72.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cascais

$160 6.8% 31.4% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cascais

$233 9.9% 91.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cascais

$57 2.4% 30.6% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cascais

$56 * 2.4% 20.7% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,859 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in Cascais for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

05:25 5:25 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

214,158

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Cascais 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cascais

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 Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,859 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cascais runs roughly 21% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,351 in Cascais – Phuket is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,351 in Cascais, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Cascais are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Cascais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.