Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ciudad Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,454 in Ciudad Real, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ciudad Real outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Real
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Ciudad Real Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ciudad Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ciudad Real

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,454 in Ciudad Real.

Phuket $1,278
Ciudad Real $1,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,917 in Ciudad Real.

Phuket $2,216
Ciudad Real $1,917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,380 in Ciudad Real.

Phuket $3,154
Ciudad Real $2,380

Living in Phuket costs roughly 12% less than in Ciudad Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ciudad Real is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.44 €12.04

-66.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$49.85 €44.65

-34.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.28 €10.11

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.51 €2.25

12.75%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.53 €2.27

-65.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.02 €1.81

-75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.31 €2.96

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.37 €3.91

-15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.22 €1.09

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.64 €0.57

128.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.36 €1.22

10.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.64 €2.36

-20.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.84 €7.92

115.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.73 €5.13

-42.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.14 €9.08

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.28 €2.05

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.88 €1.69

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.64 €1.47

37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.01 €1.80

3.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.25 €1.12

20.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.14 €1.02

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.57 €0.51

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.13 €5.49

-31.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.10 €4.57

268.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.18 €1.06

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.25 €2.02

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.25 €1.12

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.96 €9.82

416.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.89 €1.70

59.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.09 €0.98

-6.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.41 €18.28

-81.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.77 €1.59

-16.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-21.71%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$30.8K €27.6K

-13.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$161 €144

-40.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.79 €9.66

4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.75 €22.17

-31.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$38.65 €34.62

73.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.36 €7.49

-10.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$887 €794

-46.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,798 €2,506

302.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$88.4 €79.1

-29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$39.07 €34.99

-27.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$82.2 €73.6

14.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$106 €94.8

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$712 €638

0.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$625 €559

-21.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$661 €592

191.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$552 €494

159.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,105 €990

277.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$900 €806

238.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,437 €1,287

-65.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Real: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ciudad Real

$625 43% 27.3% $134

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ciudad Real

$197 13.6% 25.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ciudad Real

$196 13.5% 57.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad Real

$142 9.8% 16.5% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad Real

$215 14.8% 76.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ciudad Real

$55 3.8% 32.7% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ciudad Real

$23 1.6% 67% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $712 in Ciudad Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Real pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $50 in Ciudad Real. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $197, with Ciudad Real cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Ciudad Real

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

75,303

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ciudad Real 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ciudad Real

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 Ciudad Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,454 in Ciudad Real, so Phuket is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $712 in Ciudad Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ciudad Real pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $50 in Ciudad Real. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Ciudad Real on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.