Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cayey

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,156 in Cayey, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
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Cayey Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cayey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,156 in Cayey.

Phuket $1,294
Cayey $2,156

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,430 in Cayey.

Phuket $2,204
Cayey $3,430

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,704 in Cayey.

Phuket $3,115
Cayey $4,704

Living in Phuket costs roughly 40% less than in Cayey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Cayey is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$19.05 $19.05

-76.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$83.6 $83.6

-61.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$9.04 $9.04

-3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.52 $3.52

-22.73%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.83 $1.83

-49.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.49 $1.49

-66.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.98 $2.98

-15.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.12 $5.12

-29.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.19 $2.19

-20.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.61 $3.61

-59.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.35 $2.35

-36.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$7.33 $7.33

-70.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$12.51 $12.51

52.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.59 $9.59

-64.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$13.27 $13.27

-17.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$5.09 $5.09

-42.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.65 $2.65

-36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.79 $4.79

-54.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.88 $4.88

-56.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$3.73 $3.73

-60.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$4.04 $4.04

-66.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$3.37 $3.37

-67.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.57 $1.57

-64.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$12.22 $12.22

-63.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$15.40 $15.40

18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$3.13 $3.13

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.96 $3.96

-27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$2.55 $2.55

-40.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.52 $1.52

-48.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$41.65 $41.65

-90.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.02 $1.02

46.08%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.15%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$27.6K $27.6K

-4.49%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$318 $318

-69.26%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$70.5 $70.5

-83.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$69.7 $69.7

-75.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$40.63 $40.63

68.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.09 $10.09

-26.36%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$812 $812

-34.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$12.5K $12.5K

49.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$57.0 $57.0

8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$60.8 $60.8

-53.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$108 $108

-10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$113 $113

-23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,215 $1,215

-40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$801 $801

-36.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$2,414 $2,414

-19.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$1,784 $1,784

-21.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$3,643 $3,643

-86.51%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cayey: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cayey

$801 37.2% 57.5% $292

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cayey

$413 19.2% 54.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cayey

$458 21.3% 263% $332

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cayey

$153 7.1% 24.3% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cayey

$260 12.1% 118% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cayey

$61 2.8% 26.9% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cayey

$10 * 0.5% 84.7% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $1,215 in Cayey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Cayey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $413 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Cayey

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,999

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cayey 16,660 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cayey

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 Cayey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,156 in Cayey, so Phuket is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,215 in Cayey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $812 in Cayey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $84 in Cayey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,156 in Cayey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cayey. 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.

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