Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cayenne

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,353 in Cayenne, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Cayenne, French Guiana
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Cayenne
🇬🇫 French Guiana
$2,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cayenne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Cayenne.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Cayenne $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,829 in Cayenne.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Cayenne $3,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,305 in Cayenne.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Cayenne $5,305

Living in Phuket costs roughly 45% less than in Cayenne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Cayenne is 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$13.08 €11.70
-66.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,090
$111 €99.7
-71.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿294
$10.65 €9.53
-18.31%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.9
$3.98 €3.56
-31.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.39
$3.48 €3.11
-73.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.85
$2.99 €2.67
-83.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.4
$3.93 €3.51
-35.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$4.38 €3.91
-17.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.7
$3.95 €3.53
-55.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.95
$4.99 €4.46
-70.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$3.00 €2.68
-50.00%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.3
$7.33 €6.55
-70.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿644
$30.25 €27.05
-36.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿115
$16.32 €14.59
-79.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿368
$29.83 €26.67
-63.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿99.2
$4.80 €4.29
-38.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$4.34 €3.88
-61.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿74.0
$5.32 €4.75
-58.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.7
$9.77 €8.74
-78.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.21
$4.70 €4.20
-68.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.15
$5.68 €5.08
-75.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.30
$3.98 €3.56
-72.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.41
$1.90 €1.70
-71.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$9.31 €8.32
-52.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿616
$10.74 €9.61
69.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.8
$2.89 €2.59
-38.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿97.2
$1.15 €1.03
150.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.84
$2.18 €1.95
-33.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,852
$33.96 €30.37
61.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$5.72 €5.11
-73.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.18
$4.06 €3.63
-80.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿130
$7.86 €7.03
-51.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.2
$2.22 €1.98
-32.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿907.0K
$44.8K €40.1K
-39.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿888.9K
$45.5K €40.6K
-42.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,300
$219 €196
-55.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿381
$43.82 €39.19
-74.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿580
$68.0 €60.8
-74.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,305
$35.53 €31.77
92.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿368
$28.48 €25.47
-61.66%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿251
$9.45 €8.45
-21.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.9K
$676 €605
-21.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿633.7K
$10.4K €9,290
80.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,081
$99.4 €88.9
-37.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿953
$66.3 €59.3
-57.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,239
$128 €114
-24.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,929
$98.7 €88.2
-12.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.3K
$946 €845
-23.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.2K
$869 €777
-41.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.8K
$1,800 €1,610
8.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.1K
$1,767 €1,580
-20.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿141.4K
$3,065 €2,741
36.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿111.3K
$3,448 €3,084
-4.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Cayenne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.6K
$2,192 €1,960
-77.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.5
23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cayenne: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Cayenne
$869 70.8% $361
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Cayenne
$615 131% $348
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Cayenne
$331 162% $204
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Cayenne
$176 43.8% $54
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Cayenne
$239 99.7% $119
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Cayenne
$54 34.6% $29
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Cayenne
$69 4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $946 in Cayenne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayenne 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 $111 in Cayenne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $615 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇬🇫 Cayenne
🕒 Local time
07:55 7:55 AM
21:55 9:55 PM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
65,493 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Cayenne 16,470 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Cayenne

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 Cayenne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Cayenne?
Phuket is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Cayenne?
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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Cayenne?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $946 in Cayenne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Cayenne?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $111 in Cayenne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Cayenne?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,353 in Cayenne – Phuket is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Cayenne?
At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Cayenne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cayenne. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Cayenne?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Cayenne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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