Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Faro

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,764 in Faro, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Faro
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Faro Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Faro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Faro

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,764 in Faro, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Faro $1,764

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,627 in Faro, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Faro $2,627

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,489 in Faro, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Faro $3,489

Phuket is about 32% cheaper than Faro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Faro is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.34 €11.87

-65.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$44.34 €39.44

-26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.22 €9.98

-23.80%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.81 €1.61

50.28%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.30 €2.05

-59.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.71 €1.52

-71.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.74 €2.44

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.56 €2.28

49.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.06 €0.94

64.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.44 €1.28

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.72 €1.53

-11.05%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.43 €3.05

-36.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.98 €12.44

36.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.02 €5.35

-45.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.27 €10.03

-1.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.60 €2.31

13.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.30 €1.16

29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.56 €1.39

47.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.63 €2.34

-19.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.16 €2.81

-51.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.08 €1.85

-34.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.34 €1.20

-16.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.14 €1.02

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.51 €5.79

-34.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.96 €4.41

266.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.95 €0.85

83.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.39 €3.01

-17.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.25 €2.89

-31.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$41.55 €36.96

-46.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.58 €3.19

-18.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.15 €1.02

-12.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$21.33 €18.97

-82.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.03 €1.81

-26.60%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.9K €30.1K

-21.28%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$37.9K €33.7K

-29.55%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$109 €97.0

-8.89%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.47 €17.32

-42.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$34.73 €30.89

-50.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$43.21 €38.44

21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$21.55 €19.17

-49.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.94 €9.73

-30.80%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$456 €405

22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$11.1K €9,829

3.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$69.5 €61.9

-9.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$43.44 €38.64

-34.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$104 €92.2

-7.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$103 €91.3

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,028 €914

-29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$885 €787

-48.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,708 €1,520

22.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,505 €1,339

-18.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,622 €4,111

-25.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$3,560 €3,166

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,342 €1,193

-63.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.57

56.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Faro: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Faro

$885 50.2% 92.4% $425

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Faro

$246 13.9% 8.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Faro

$163 9.3% 27.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Faro

$144 8.2% 15.8% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Faro

$197 11.2% 62.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Faro

$65 3.7% 3.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Faro

$64 3.6% 64.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $1,028 in Faro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 172% higher in Faro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $44.00 in Faro. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $246 in Faro – so Faro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Faro

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

67,650

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Faro 10,900 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Faro

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 Faro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Faro is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,646 in Faro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $456 in Faro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Faro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Faro at $1,764. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Faro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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