Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and El Viejo

For one person, living is cheaper in El Viejo: $818 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in El Viejo
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El Viejo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

El Viejo

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in El Viejo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $818 in El Viejo.

Phuket $1,278
El Viejo $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,280 in El Viejo.

Phuket $2,216
El Viejo $1,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,741 in El Viejo.

Phuket $3,154
El Viejo $1,741

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in El Viejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, El Viejo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.08 NIO 369

-55.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$35.12 NIO 1,286

-7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.57 NIO 277

16.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.58 NIO 94.3

9.69%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.91 NIO 33.29

-4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.69 NIO 25.33

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.48 NIO 54.1

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.26 NIO 82.9

62.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.26 NIO 46.10

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.33 NIO 85.5

-37.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.87 NIO 68.4

-19.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.39 NIO 87.6

-12.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.51 NIO 422

65.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.35 NIO 233

-48.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.56 NIO 277

44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.11 NIO 150

-28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.62 NIO 22.84

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.75 NIO 64.2

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.50 NIO 91.5

-16.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.97 NIO 145

-61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.17 NIO 79.6

-36.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.08 NIO 39.61

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.02 NIO 37.18

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.81 NIO 103

49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.95 NIO 548

25.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.41 NIO 51.6

29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.23 NIO 81.8

27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.65 NIO 60.5

83.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.60 NIO 58.6

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.74 NIO 247

-45.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.36 NIO 49.65

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$23.4K NIO 856.6K

14.49%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.8K NIO 981.2K

-0.37%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$151 NIO 5,540

-36.31%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.54 NIO 716

-42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.99 NIO 1,172

-47.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.93 NIO 327

-16.01%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$234 NIO 8,571

103.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,960 NIO 218.3K

88.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.0 NIO 2,162

5.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$65.7 NIO 2,407

-56.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$122 NIO 4,467

-22.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$142 NIO 5,212

-39.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.92

-53.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

El Viejo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

El Viejo

$260 31.8% 2.4% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

El Viejo

$203 24.8% 62.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Viejo

$175 21.4% 43.6% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Viejo

$153 18.7% 25.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

El Viejo

$18 * 2.2% 78.3% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

El Viejo

$9.7 * 1.2% 86.3% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in El Viejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $260, with El Viejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇮 El Viejo

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,607

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.89 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket El Viejo 17,650 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
El Viejo

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 El Viejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Viejo is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,227 in El Viejo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in El Viejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $234 in El Viejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $818 in El Viejo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Viejo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes El Viejo 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and El Viejo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.