Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Elche

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,483 in Elche, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Elche

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,483 in Elche.

Phuket $1,278
Elche $1,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,201 in Elche.

Phuket $2,216
Elche $2,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,918 in Elche.

Phuket $3,154
Elche $2,918

Living in Phuket costs roughly 14% less than in Elche, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Elche is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.65 €14.92

-73.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$56.2 €50.3

-42.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.17 €10.01

-21.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.49 €2.23

13.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.41 €2.16

-63.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.86 €1.66

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.25 €2.91

-21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.30 €2.95

11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.11 €0.99

49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.62 €1.45

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.55 €1.39

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.03 €2.72

-31.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$14.30 €12.81

33.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.91 €7.09

-58.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.54 €12.13

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.55 €2.28

14.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.93 €1.73

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.90 €1.70

18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.42 €2.17

-14.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.74 €1.56

-13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.91 €1.71

-27.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.03 €0.93

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.70 €0.63

-25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.47 €5.80

-35.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$5.72 €5.12

228.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.06 €0.95

71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.03 €0.92

175.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.42 €1.27

2.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$22.72 €20.36

149.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.09 €2.77

-2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.87 €0.78

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$16.91 €15.15

-78.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.76 €1.58

-16.48%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$31.4K €28.1K

-14.71%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$31.8K €28.5K

-16.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$138 €123

-30.02%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.13 €15.35

-34.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$26.35 €23.61

-36.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$45.31 €40.60

48.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$11.11 €9.96

-3.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.33 €6.56

2.32%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$692 €620

-31.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$9,979 €8,942

12.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$83.4 €74.7

-25.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$35.43 €31.75

-19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$85.8 €76.9

9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$86.9 €77.9

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$665 €596

7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$585 €524

-16.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$967 €867

99.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$860 €771

66.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,033 €1,821

105.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,481 €1,327

105.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,599 €1,433

-68.60%

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 Elche: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Elche

$585 39.4% 19.2% $94

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Elche

$253 17.1% 5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Elche

$181 12.2% 45.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Elche

$131 8.9% 7.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Elche

$237 16% 94.4% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Elche

$60 4% 27.1% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Elche

$36 2.4% 49.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $665 in Elche. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Elche. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $253, with Elche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Elche

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

238,293

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Elche 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Elche

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 Elche: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Elche. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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 $665 in Elche. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $56 in Elche. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,483 in Elche – Phuket is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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