Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Esmeraldas

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $857 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Esmeraldas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $857 in Esmeraldas.

Phuket $1,294
Esmeraldas $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,421 in Esmeraldas.

Phuket $2,204
Esmeraldas $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,985 in Esmeraldas.

Phuket $3,115
Esmeraldas $1,985

Living in Phuket is roughly 51% more expensive than in Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Esmeraldas 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.92 $2.92

50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$54.8 $54.8

-40.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$3.89 $3.89

123.65%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.44 $3.44

-20.93%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.49 $0.49

89.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.51 $0.51

-1.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.60 $3.60

-29.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.16 $6.16

-41.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.98 $0.98

77.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.58 $1.58

-8.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.51 $1.51

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.16 $2.16

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.57 $6.57

190.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$5.49 $5.49

-38.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.86 $7.86

38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.29 $2.29

28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.22 $1.22

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.32 $1.32

65.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.14 $1.14

85.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.26 $1.26

15.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.07 $1.07

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.49 $0.49

120.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.03 $1.03

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.97 $5.97

-25.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.29 $8.29

120.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.51 $1.51

17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.09 $3.09

-6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.34 $0.34

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.48 $1.48

2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.23 $1.23

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$10.12 $10.12

-62.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.85 $0.85

75.29%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$23.3K $23.3K

15.40%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$29.5K $29.5K

-10.67%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$28.90 $28.90

238.44%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$18.12 $18.12

-37.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$28.69 $28.69

-40.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$30.26 $30.26

125.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$16.45 $16.45

-33.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.47 $6.47

14.84%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$757 $757

-29.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$8,921 $8,921

110.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$69.9 $69.9

-11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$50.6 $50.6

-44.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$115 $115

-16.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$106 $106

-18.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$420 $420

71.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$274 $274

85.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$811 $811

140.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$505 $505

176.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$442 $442

11.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Esmeraldas

$274 31.9% 46.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Esmeraldas

$191 22.3% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Esmeraldas

$76 8.8% 40% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Esmeraldas

$154 18% 25.4% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Esmeraldas

$111 12.9% 7.5% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Esmeraldas

$43 5% 48.1% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Esmeraldas

$9 * 1.1% 86.4% $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 $721 in Phuket and $420 in Esmeraldas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Esmeraldas. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $191, with Esmeraldas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

95,216

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Esmeraldas 19,010 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Esmeraldas

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 Esmeraldas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Phuket, 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: $721 in Phuket versus $420 in Esmeraldas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $857 in Esmeraldas – Esmeraldas is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $857 in Esmeraldas versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas 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 – Esmeraldas wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.