Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cayo Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $650 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cayo Coco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Cayo Coco.

Phuket $1,278
Cayo Coco $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,689 in Cayo Coco.

Phuket $2,216
Cayo Coco $1,689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,155 in Cayo Coco.

Phuket $3,154
Cayo Coco $2,155

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Cayo Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cayo Coco 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.11 CUP 123

-12.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$14.92 CUP 358

117.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.90 CUP 166

27.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.97 CUP 23.34

191.75%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.05 CUP 49.24

-57.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.98 CUP 23.61

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.94 CUP 46.63

31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.08 CUP 74.0

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.04 CUP 72.9

-45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.99 CUP 23.72

47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.97 CUP 47.29

-23.86%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.69 CUP 88.6

-43.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.86 CUP 141

225.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.06 CUP 121

-34.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.80 CUP 235

11.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.07 CUP 122

-42.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.01 CUP 24.25

67.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.02 CUP 24.48

120.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.99 CUP 23.73

110.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.98 CUP 23.58

54.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$3.09 CUP 74.2

-55.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.01 CUP 24.30

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.99 CUP 23.64

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.95 CUP 70.8

42.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.02 CUP 241

87.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.96 CUP 46.99

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 CUP 47.01

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$20.39 CUP 489

177.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.97 CUP 23.33

211.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.02 CUP 24.48

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.19 CUP 485

-81.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.98 CUP 23.42

50.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$71.3K CUP 1.7M

-62.47%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$80.8K CUP 1.9M

-66.96%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$39.92 CUP 958

141.36%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$40.23 CUP 966

-72.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$221 CUP 5,307

-92.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$40.44 CUP 971

66.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.03 CUP 241

6.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$0.99 CUP 23.71

657.58%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$89.0 CUP 2,136

434.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$15.1K CUP 362.8K

-25.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$40.38 CUP 969

54.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.55 CUP 709

-3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$73.9 CUP 1,773

27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$81.3 CUP 1,950

5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$404 CUP 9,699

77.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$417 CUP 10.0K

17.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,031 CUP 24.7K

86.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$623 CUP 14.9K

129.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$300 CUP 7,202

1291.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$354 CUP 8,487

760.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$19.60 CUP 471

2462.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cayo Coco

$417 34.1% 15% $74

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cayo Coco

$234 19.2% 12% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cayo Coco

$301 24.6% 142% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 16.9% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 16.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cayo Coco

$42 3.5% 48.4% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.2% 62.5% $44

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 $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 26 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $15 in Cayo Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $234 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cayo Coco 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cayo Coco

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 Cayo Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 26 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 $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 64% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $89 in Cayo Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cayo Coco is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.