Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cave Valley

For one person, living is cheaper in Cave Valley: $1,003 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Cave Valley
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Cave Valley Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cave Valley

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cave Valley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,003 in Cave Valley.

Phuket $1,278
Cave Valley $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,661 in Cave Valley.

Phuket $2,216
Cave Valley $1,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,318 in Cave Valley.

Phuket $3,154
Cave Valley $2,318

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Cave Valley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cave Valley 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.51 JMD 2,130

-66.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-56.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.42 JMD 1,328

4.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.34 JMD 843

-47.00%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.15 JMD 182

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.74 JMD 117

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.17 JMD 341

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.06 JMD 482

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.16 JMD 656

-60.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.68 JMD 580

-60.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.59 JMD 250

-5.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.63 JMD 572

-42.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.55 JMD 1,821

65.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.21 JMD 979

-46.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.36 JMD 1,634

5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.15 JMD 969

-52.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.93 JMD 620

-57.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.51 JMD 1,185

-70.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.98 JMD 470

-30.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.30 JMD 520

-54.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.73 JMD 430

-49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.01 JMD 475

-64.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.50 JMD 237

-65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.25 JMD 1,458

-54.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.53 JMD 1,818

62.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.78 JMD 438

-34.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.96 JMD 625

-28.28%

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

$1.28 JMD 201

135.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.20 JMD 504

-68.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.41 JMD 1,011

-42.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.40 JMD 221

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

-38.18%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

-17.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$166 JMD 26.1K

-41.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.39 JMD 4,635

-61.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$52.0 JMD 8,201

-67.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.12 JMD 2,070

-42.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$368 JMD 58.0K

29.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,266 JMD 1.3M

36.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.60 JMD 3,722

164.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.02 JMD 4,891

-8.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.3 JMD 12.0K

23.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$103 JMD 16.3K

-16.77%

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

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cave Valley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cave Valley

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cave Valley

$386 38.4% 44.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cave Valley

$247 24.6% 98.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cave Valley

$105 10.5% 13.6% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cave Valley

$222 22.1% 82.4% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cave Valley

$26 * 2.6% 68.1% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cave Valley

$17 * 1.7% 75.5% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $74 in Cave Valley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $386 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Cave Valley

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

15:32 3:32 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cave Valley 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cave Valley

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 Cave Valley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,003 in Cave Valley, so Cave Valley is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,505 in Cave Valley to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,003 in Cave Valley – Cave Valley is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cave Valley gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.