Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
Learn more

Cotonou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cotonou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $897 in Cotonou.

Phuket $1,278
Cotonou $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,428 in Cotonou.

Phuket $2,216
Cotonou $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,958 in Cotonou.

Phuket $3,154
Cotonou $1,958

Living in Phuket is roughly 42% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cotonou 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

-13.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

-9.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.39 F CFA 5,514

-6.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.25 F CFA 3,085

-46.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.00 F CFA 589

-13.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.89 F CFA 521

-44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.87 F CFA 510

194.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.59 F CFA 1,522

42.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.10 F CFA 1,820

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.23 F CFA 724

18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.88 F CFA 1,105

-20.21%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.74 F CFA 1,610

-23.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.25 F CFA 5,436

106.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.43 F CFA 3,189

-39.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.04 F CFA 2,959

116.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.99 F CFA 2,345

-26.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.78 F CFA 1,043

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.33 F CFA 779

69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.71 F CFA 1,591

-23.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.27 F CFA 745

18.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.68 F CFA 987

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.43 F CFA 253

148.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.14 F CFA 670

-54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.37 F CFA 1,977

24.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.30 F CFA 2,524

336.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.17 F CFA 688

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.86 F CFA 1,092

52.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.30 F CFA 764

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.38 F CFA 808

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.32 F CFA 776

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.18 F CFA 695

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

13.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$145 F CFA 85.1K

-33.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

-66.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$49.06 F CFA 28.8K

-65.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.36 F CFA 1,973

219.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.58 F CFA 5,043

-12.59%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$131 F CFA 76.9K

263.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

103.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$25.39 F CFA 14.9K

145.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$33.44 F CFA 19.6K

181.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$67.9 F CFA 39.9K

26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$176 F CFA 103.4K

306.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$163 F CFA 95.7K

201.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$600 F CFA 352.5K

221.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$412 F CFA 242.3K

246.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$251 F CFA 147.2K

100.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cotonou

$163 18.2% 66.8% $328

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cotonou

$222 24.8% 16.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cotonou

$227 25.4% 82.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 53.2% $65

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cotonou

$150 16.7% 23% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cotonou

$65 7.2% 21.2% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 81.3% $57

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 $176 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $36 in Cotonou. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $222, with Cotonou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

11:18 11:18 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

780,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cotonou 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2 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 $176 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $897 in Cotonou – Cotonou is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Cotonou wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.