Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chinandega

For one person, living is cheaper in Chinandega: $772 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Chinandega
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Chinandega Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chinandega

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chinandega

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $772 in Chinandega, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chinandega $772

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,234 in Chinandega, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chinandega $1,234

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,696 in Chinandega, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chinandega $1,696

Phuket costs about 65% more than Chinandega, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Chinandega are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Chinandega 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.14 NIO 371

-55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$34.36 NIO 1,259

-5.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.82 NIO 286

12.66%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.55 NIO 93.5

10.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.85 NIO 30.97

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.73 NIO 26.89

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.54 NIO 56.4

66.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.31 NIO 84.5

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.22 NIO 44.55

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.43 NIO 89.0

-39.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.86 NIO 68.1

-19.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.35 NIO 86.0

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.72 NIO 429

62.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.52 NIO 239

-49.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.56 NIO 277

44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.08 NIO 149

-28.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.59 NIO 21.52

186.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.81 NIO 66.4

24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.47 NIO 90.6

-15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.05 NIO 148

-62.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.18 NIO 80.0

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.09 NIO 40.00

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.00 NIO 36.78

-48.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.70 NIO 99.0

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.63 NIO 536

28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.49 NIO 54.7

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.16 NIO 79.0

31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.67 NIO 61.0

80.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.66 NIO 60.9

-38.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.71 NIO 246

-45.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.30 NIO 47.64

13.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.5K NIO 825.0K

18.87%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.9K NIO 985.2K

-0.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$102 NIO 3,731

-5.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.81 NIO 725

-43.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.82 NIO 1,166

-47.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.13 NIO 334

-17.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$234 NIO 8,558

103.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,961 NIO 218.3K

88.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.7 NIO 2,187

4.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$65.6 NIO 2,402

-56.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$122 NIO 4,476

-22.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$143 NIO 5,221

-39.81%

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 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.92

-53.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chinandega: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chinandega

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chinandega

$261 33.8% 1.9% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chinandega

$154 19.9% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chinandega

$176 22.7% 44% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chinandega

$154 19.9% 26.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chinandega

$18 * 2.4% 77.8% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chinandega

$10 * 1.3% 85.9% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $34 in Chinandega. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $261 in Chinandega – so Chinandega wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇮 Chinandega

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

135,578

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.89 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chinandega 17,650 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chinandega

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 Chinandega: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $772 in Chinandega – Chinandega comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,159 in Chinandega. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $234 in Chinandega. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $772 in Chinandega. That makes Chinandega about 40% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chinandega, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chinandega it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $772 in Chinandega to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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