Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Esperanza

For one person, living is cheaper in Esperanza: $691 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Esperanza
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Esperanza Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Esperanza

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Esperanza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $691 in Esperanza.

Phuket $1,278
Esperanza $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,143 in Esperanza.

Phuket $2,216
Esperanza $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,595 in Esperanza.

Phuket $3,154
Esperanza $1,595

Living in Phuket is roughly 85% more expensive than in Esperanza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Esperanza 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.63 DOP 579

-53.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$49.75 DOP 2,989

-34.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.58 DOP 455

16.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.26 DOP 136

25.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.00 DOP 60.1

-13.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.55 DOP 32.96

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.42 DOP 146

5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.12 DOP 187

17.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.40 DOP 84.4

18.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.59 DOP 95.5

-8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.62 DOP 97.6

-7.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.26 DOP 136

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.31 DOP 439

160.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.57 DOP 335

-40.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.53 DOP 393

67.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.14 DOP 189

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.82 DOP 49.42

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.72 DOP 164

-17.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.79 DOP 108

16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.03 DOP 122

-25.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.22 DOP 133

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.02 DOP 61.5

4.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.91 DOP 54.9

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.21 DOP 313

-19.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.28 DOP 618

82.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.51 DOP 151

-27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.93 DOP 176

-3.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.23 DOP 194

-6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.25 DOP 135

-54.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.58 DOP 335

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.42 DOP 85.5

3.52%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$28.5K DOP 1.7M

-5.99%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$34.4K DOP 2.1M

-22.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$89.8 DOP 5,397

7.26%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$31.12 DOP 1,870

-63.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.75 DOP 2,148

-52.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.19 DOP 432

4.31%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$249 DOP 14.9K

91.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$7,439 DOP 446.9K

51.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$44.62 DOP 2,681

39.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$46.23 DOP 2,777

-38.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$85.1 DOP 5,110

10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$122 DOP 7,319

-29.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.56

-58.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Esperanza: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Esperanza

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Esperanza

$220 31.8% 17.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Esperanza

$157 22.7% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Esperanza

$134 19.4% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Esperanza

$151 21.9% 24.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Esperanza

$14 * 2.1% 82.5% $68

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Esperanza

$14 * 2.1% 79.5% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $50 in Esperanza. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $220, with Esperanza cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Esperanza

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

04:12 4:12 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

51,694

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Esperanza 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Esperanza

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 Esperanza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esperanza wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Esperanza the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,036 in Esperanza 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.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $249 in Esperanza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $50 in Esperanza. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $691 in Esperanza versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Esperanza but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Esperanza 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.