Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,610 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,610
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,610 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,610

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,368 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,368

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,126 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,126

Phuket is about 25% cheaper than Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$14.81 €13.18
-70.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$57.1 €50.8
-43.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$10.31 €9.17
-15.03%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$2.17 €1.93
30.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$2.39 €2.12
-62.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$1.70 €1.51
-72.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$3.40 €3.03
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$3.41 €3.04
12.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$1.19 €1.06
45.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$1.36 €1.21
8.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$1.67 €1.48
-9.58%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$2.89 €2.57
-24.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$13.52 €12.03
45.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$8.22 €7.31
-59.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$15.10 €13.43
-26.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$2.51 €2.23
13.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$1.96 €1.74
-13.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$1.97 €1.75
11.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$2.59 €2.30
-20.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$1.73 €1.54
-16.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$2.02 €1.80
-31.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$1.33 €1.18
-19.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$0.70 €0.62
-27.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$6.46 €5.75
-34.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$5.73 €5.10
224.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$1.20 €1.07
48.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$2.05 €1.83
39.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
$1.69 €1.50
33.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
$33.64 €29.92
-34.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$4.09 €3.64
-26.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$1.26 €1.12
-15.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$25.03 €22.26
-84.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.76 €1.57
-17.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$38.3K €34.1K
-31.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$30.3K €27.0K
-11.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$135 €120
-28.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$20.74 €18.45
-46.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$30.89 €27.48
-44.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$47.30 €42.08
10.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
$15.03 €13.37
-25.75%
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$9.02 €8.03
-13.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$413 €367
34.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
$8,267 €7,353
40.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$84.1 €74.8
-23.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$34.68 €30.84
-17.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$87.4 €77.8
9.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$107 €95.5
-18.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
$853 €758
-13.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
$690 €614
-33.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$1,305 €1,161
60.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$1,016 €903
18.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$3,320 €2,953
5.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
$2,366 €2,105
6.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.5
59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$690 49.3% $228
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$260 3.1% $8.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$186 49.5% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$141 13.5% $17
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$216 77.9% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$65 3.6% $2.4
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
$51 28.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $853 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $260 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – so Gran Canaria, Canary Islands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
🕒 Local time
10:39 10:39 AM
04:39 4:39 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
862,893
💱 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 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 11,890 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gran Canaria, Canary Islands cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $2,414 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $413 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands at $1,610. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Gran Canaria, Canary Islands more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Gran Canaria, Canary Islands?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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