Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cuenca, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,670 in Cuenca, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cuenca

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,670 in Cuenca, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Cuenca $1,670

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,437 in Cuenca, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Cuenca $2,437

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,205 in Cuenca, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Cuenca $3,205

Phuket is about 23% cheaper than Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Cuenca is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.14 €15.36

-73.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$45.51 €40.78

-28.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.98 €8.05

-1.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.03 €1.82

39.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.36 €2.12

-63.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.49 €1.34

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.21 €1.98

15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.30 €2.96

11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.98 €0.88

69.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.00 €1.79

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.55 €1.39

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.50 €2.24

-16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$16.27 €14.58

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.38 €8.40

-64.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.78 €18.62

-47.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.71 €2.43

8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.42 €2.17

-30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.58 €2.31

-12.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.00 €2.69

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.00 €1.79

-24.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.19 €1.96

-36.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.78 €1.60

-39.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.65 €0.58

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.30 €5.64

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.41 €3.95

326.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.00 €0.90

82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.19 €1.97

29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.65 €1.48

-12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$31.98 €28.66

77.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.29 €2.05

31.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.07 €0.96

-4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$29.56 €26.49

-87.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.81 €1.62

-18.78%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$35.6K €31.9K

-24.77%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$32.0K €28.7K

-16.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$164 €147

-41.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.56 €10.36

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.65 €19.40

-22.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.51 €35.40

70.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.95 €14.30

-32.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.85 €7.93

-15.25%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$338 €303

40.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$8,035 €7,200

40.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$91.9 €82.3

-32.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.11 €35.05

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$98.4 €88.1

-4.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$114 €102

-24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$879 €788

-18.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$692 €620

-29.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,354 €1,213

42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,020 €914

40.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,298 €2,955

26.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,188 €1,960

39.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,405 €1,259

-64.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cuenca

$692 41.4% 41% $201

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cuenca

$301 18% 13% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cuenca

$198 11.8% 58.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cuenca

$155 9.3% 26.8% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cuenca

$222 13.3% 82% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cuenca

$57 3.4% 30.4% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cuenca

$46 2.8% 34.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $879 in Cuenca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cuenca are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $46 in Cuenca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $301 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

53,512

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cuenca 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cuenca

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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,670 in Cuenca – Phuket comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,505 in Cuenca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $879 in Cuenca.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $338 in Cuenca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Cuenca, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Cuenca at $1,670. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cuenca 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,670 in Cuenca. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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