Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,050 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chaves

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,050 in Chaves, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chaves $1,050

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,604 in Chaves, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chaves $1,604

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,159 in Chaves, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chaves $2,159

Phuket costs about 22% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Chaves are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Chaves 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.85 €7.05

-43.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.39 €20.11

44.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.81 €7.01

12.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.57 €1.41

80.25%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.45 €1.31

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.58 €0.52

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.20 €1.98

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.69 €2.41

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.00 €0.90

66.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 €0.98

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.13 €1.02

32.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.05 €2.74

-31.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.17 €5.54

209.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.37 €5.72

-48.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.54 €9.47

3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.09 €0.98

168.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.09 €0.98

55.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.10 €0.99

104.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.11 €1.00

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.03 €1.82

-25.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.09 €0.98

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.38 €1.24

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.86 €0.77

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.95 €5.35

-29.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.82 €3.43

391.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.13 €1.02

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.09 €0.98

160.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.87 €0.78

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$28.11 €25.25

101.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.81 €3.42

-20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.64 €0.58

59.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$19.59 €17.59

-81.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.02 €1.82

-27.23%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.8K €30.4K

-20.81%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$37.9K €34.0K

-29.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$135 €121

-28.39%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.73 €15.93

-36.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.95 €27.80

-45.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$24.86 €22.33

170.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.52 €4.96

94.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.07 €6.35

6.08%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$220 €198

116.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,547 €3,186

217.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$71.1 €63.9

-12.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$22.77 €20.45

24.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$62.4 €56.1

51.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$89.9 €80.7

-4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$478 €429

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$368 €330

33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$937 €842

105.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$752 €676

90.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,876 €1,685

122.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,438 €1,292

111.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$994 €893

-49.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chaves

$368 35% 25.1% $123

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chaves

$181 17.3% 32% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chaves

$183 17.5% 47.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chaves

$111 10.6% 9.1% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chaves

$130 12.3% 6.5% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 52.6% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 45.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $478 in Chaves. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $22 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $181 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,592

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Chaves 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 22% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,575 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $478 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $220 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,050 in Chaves. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chaves – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chaves is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 18% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.