Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fuengirola

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,702 in Fuengirola, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Fuengirola, Spain
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Fuengirola
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,702
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fuengirola

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,702 in Fuengirola, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Fuengirola $1,702

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,554 in Fuengirola, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Fuengirola $2,554

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,407 in Fuengirola, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Fuengirola $3,407

Phuket is about 25% cheaper than Fuengirola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Fuengirola is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$15.83 €14.22
-71.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$68.1 €61.2
-52.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$10.01 €8.99
-11.99%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.68 €2.41
5.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$2.43 €2.19
-64.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$1.99 €1.79
-75.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$3.38 €3.04
-24.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.35 €3.91
-15.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.22 €1.10
36.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$1.50 €1.34
-2.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.49 €1.34
0.67%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.89 €2.60
-27.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$15.64 €14.06
21.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$7.86 €7.06
-58.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.97 €10.75
-8.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.32 €2.08
26.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.96 €1.76
-13.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.68 €1.51
33.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$2.45 €2.20
-15.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.60 €1.44
-5.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.58 €1.42
-12.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.21 €1.09
-11.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.68 €0.61
-23.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$5.67 €5.10
-25.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.91 €6.21
171.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.03 €0.93
76.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.55 €1.39
83.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$2.20 €1.97
-34.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$11.24 €10.10
404.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.85 €1.66
63.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.23 €1.11
-17.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$22.06 €19.82
-83.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.75 €1.57
-16.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$33.7K €30.3K
-20.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$30.3K €27.2K
-11.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$162 €146
-40.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$10.57 €9.50
6.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$24.68 €22.18
-31.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$45.57 €40.94
47.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$33.31 €29.93
-67.79%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$9.43 €8.47
-20.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$383 €344
24.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$10.0K €9,008
12.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$62.2 €55.9
0.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$35.46 €31.86
-19.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$71.2 €64.0
32.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$81.1 €72.9
5.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,062 €954
-32.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$815 €732
-39.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,760 €1,581
9.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,321 €1,187
8.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$3,565 €3,203
17.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,700 €2,426
12.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Fuengirola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$1,753 €1,575
-71.35%
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 Fuengirola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Fuengirola
$815 66% $324
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Fuengirola
$252 5.3% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Fuengirola
$197 58.6% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Fuengirola
$112 7.7% $9.4
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Fuengirola
$232 90.7% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Fuengirola
$64 21.7% $18
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Fuengirola
$28 60.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,062 in Fuengirola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fuengirola are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $68 in Fuengirola. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $252 in Fuengirola – so Fuengirola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇪🇸 Fuengirola
🕒 Local time
21:56 9:56 PM
15:56 3:56 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
85,598
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Fuengirola 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Fuengirola

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 Fuengirola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Fuengirola compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,702 in Fuengirola – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Fuengirola?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,552 in Fuengirola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Fuengirola?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,062 in Fuengirola.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Fuengirola?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $383 in Fuengirola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Fuengirola – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Fuengirola at $1,702. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fuengirola it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Fuengirola?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,702 in Fuengirola. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Phuket and Fuengirola?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fuengirola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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