Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cienfuegos

For one person, living is cheaper in Cienfuegos: $935 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cienfuegos
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Cienfuegos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Cienfuegos

🇨🇺 Cuba

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cienfuegos

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $935 in Cienfuegos, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Cienfuegos $935

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,384 in Cienfuegos, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Cienfuegos $1,384

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,834 in Cienfuegos, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Cienfuegos $1,834

Phuket costs about 29% more than Cienfuegos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Phuket and Cienfuegos are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Cienfuegos 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.63 CUP 87.2

21.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$27.37 CUP 657

17.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.89 CUP 117

79.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.01 CUP 24.21

180.20%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.59 CUP 38.16

-43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.91 CUP 21.94

-48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.99 CUP 23.66

157.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.98 CUP 47.52

93.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.03 CUP 48.61

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.72 CUP 17.34

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.52 CUP 36.51

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.41 CUP 81.8

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$3.95 CUP 94.8

398.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.71 CUP 89.1

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.68 CUP 160

67.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.69 CUP 113

-39.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.07 CUP 25.58

58.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.44 CUP 34.46

52.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.64 CUP 39.37

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.59 CUP 38.22

-8.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.02 CUP 48.57

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.72 CUP 17.20

48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.53 CUP 12.84

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.35 CUP 56.4

81.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$5.17 CUP 124

259.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.78 CUP 42.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.87 CUP 44.91

52.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.36 CUP 8.69

527.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$19.62 CUP 471

12.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.97 CUP 23.29

210.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.34 CUP 8.12

211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$13.24 CUP 318

-70.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.28 CUP 30.79

13.28%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$50.4K CUP 1.2M

-47.75%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$63.0K CUP 1.5M

-57.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$34.98 CUP 839

175.53%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$39.09 CUP 938

-71.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$90.9 CUP 2,183

-81.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$40.14 CUP 963

30.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.02 CUP 240

11.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$1.01 CUP 24.30

673.27%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$108 CUP 2,600

413.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.0K CUP 240.7K

15.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$34.89 CUP 837

84.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$27.99 CUP 672

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$57.0 CUP 1,368

67.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$51.5 CUP 1,236

70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$367 CUP 8,811

100.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$370 CUP 8,868

25.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,022 CUP 24.5K

104.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$603 CUP 14.5K

99.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$347 CUP 8,332

904.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$249 CUP 5,971

914.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$37.68 CUP 904

1228.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cienfuegos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Cienfuegos

$370 39.5% 20.1% $93

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Cienfuegos

$183 19.5% 32% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Cienfuegos

$165 17.7% 32.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cienfuegos

$77 8.3% 38% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Cienfuegos

$75 8% 38.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Cienfuegos

$42 4.5% 37.8% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cienfuegos

$24 2.5% 39.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $367 in Cienfuegos. 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 1229% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $27.00 in Cienfuegos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $183 – making Cienfuegos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇺 Cienfuegos

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

10:36 10:36 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

150,404

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 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 October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cienfuegos 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cienfuegos

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 Cienfuegos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $935 in Cienfuegos – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,402 in Cienfuegos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cienfuegos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Cienfuegos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $108 in Cienfuegos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cienfuegos, where all-in costs run around $935, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Cienfuegos 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 $935 in Cienfuegos to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cienfuegos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.