Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Diego Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,349 in Diego Martin, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. The total is higher in Diego Martin despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Diego Martin
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Diego Martin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Diego Martin

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Diego Martin

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,349 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Diego Martin $1,349

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,299 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Diego Martin $2,299

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,248 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Diego Martin $3,248

Phuket is about 5% cheaper than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.80 TTD 79.2

-62.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$88.1 TTD 591

-63.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.97 TTD 60.2

-1.78%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.79 TTD 25.44

-25.33%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.23 TTD 8.23

-29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.86 TTD 5.80

-43.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.27 TTD 15.22

12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.70 TTD 24.79

-0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.40 TTD 16.08

-30.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.22 TTD 14.93

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.76 TTD 18.52

-45.65%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.47 TTD 30.00

-53.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.51 TTD 43.65

192.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.23 TTD 68.7

-67.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.15 TTD 61.4

19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.41 TTD 36.30

-45.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.53 TTD 16.98

-33.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.66 TTD 24.55

-38.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.39 TTD 29.43

-52.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.71 TTD 4.73

112.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.77 TTD 5.14

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.50 TTD 10.08

-28.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.15 TTD 7.72

-54.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.57 TTD 37.36

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.33 TTD 116

8.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.56 TTD 10.44

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.96 TTD 19.87

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.84 TTD 5.62

72.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$74.3 TTD 499

-23.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.06 TTD 7.08

184.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.92 TTD 6.19

10.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$14.73 TTD 98.8

-74.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.15 TTD 7.73

27.83%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$14.8K TTD 99.5K

80.60%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$41.0K TTD 274.8K

-34.83%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$44.24 TTD 297

117.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$42.02 TTD 282

-73.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$45.48 TTD 305

-62.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.12 TTD 296

52.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.65 TTD 58.0

-13.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$394 TTD 2,644

20.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.8K TTD 72.7K

3.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.5 TTD 372

12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.13 TTD 242

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$88.2 TTD 592

6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$87.6 TTD 588

-2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$672 TTD 4,510

6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$435 TTD 2,917

12.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,420 TTD 9,528

35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$939 TTD 6,302

52.32%

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

$1,790 TTD 12.0K

-71.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Diego Martin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Diego Martin

$435 32.2% 11.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Diego Martin

$324 24% 21.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Diego Martin

$132 9.8% 5.8% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Diego Martin

$120 8.9% 1.3% $1.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Diego Martin

$194 14.4% 59.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Diego Martin

$61 4.6% 25.3% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Diego Martin

$83 6.2% 18.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $672 in Diego Martin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Diego Martin are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $88 in Diego Martin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $324 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 Diego Martin

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

25,370

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Diego Martin 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Diego Martin

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 Diego Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Diego Martin costs about 6% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,024 in Diego Martin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $672 in Diego Martin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Diego Martin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $88 in Diego Martin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,349 in Diego Martin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,349 in Diego Martin. 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.

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