Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Havana

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $863 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Havana
Learn more

Havana Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Havana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $863 in Havana.

Phuket $1,278
Havana $863

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,391 in Havana.

Phuket $2,216
Havana $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,919 in Havana.

Phuket $3,154
Havana $1,919

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Havana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Havana 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.71 CUP 89.2

20.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$28.01 CUP 672

15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.92 CUP 118

79.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.05 CUP 25.18

169.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.59 CUP 38.22

-45.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.99 CUP 23.69

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.17 CUP 27.98

118.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.96 CUP 47.03

87.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 CUP 65.1

-38.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.41 CUP 33.74

3.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.72 CUP 41.17

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.57 CUP 85.7

-41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.36 CUP 105

337.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.60 CUP 110

-28.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.27 CUP 198

31.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.93 CUP 142

-50.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.06 CUP 25.50

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.85 CUP 92.5

-41.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.26 CUP 54.3

-7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.94 CUP 70.6

-48.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.68 CUP 64.3

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.78 CUP 18.80

37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.57 CUP 13.60

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.68 CUP 40.30

150.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.27 CUP 126

256.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.70 CUP 40.85

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.05 CUP 49.14

38.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.68 CUP 16.22

113.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$22.84 CUP 548

148.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.57 CUP 61.6

17.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.34 CUP 8.08

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$19.98 CUP 480

-81.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.33 CUP 31.90

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$59.8K CUP 1.4M

-55.23%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$59.3K CUP 1.4M

-54.96%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$46.59 CUP 1,118

106.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$39.68 CUP 952

-71.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$91.6 CUP 2,198

-81.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$16.27 CUP 391

313.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.90 CUP 310

-16.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$0.87 CUP 20.84

762.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$158 CUP 3,798

200.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$12.7K CUP 303.8K

-11.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$52.3 CUP 1,256

19.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$41.42 CUP 994

-31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$80.3 CUP 1,926

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$67.6 CUP 1,622

26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$243 CUP 5,832

194.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$218 CUP 5,244

124.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$884 CUP 21.2K

118.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$504 CUP 12.1K

183.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$304 CUP 7,288

1275.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$395 CUP 9,473

671.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$28.52 CUP 685

1661.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.1

-38.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Havana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Havana

$218 25.3% 55.5% $272

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Havana

$233 27% 12.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Havana

$178 20.6% 42.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Havana

$109 12.6% 10.8% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Havana

$77 8.9% 36.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Havana

$18 2.1% 78.1% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Havana

$30 3.5% 57.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $243 in Havana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 18 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $28 in Havana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $233 per month, with Havana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇺 Havana

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

10:53 10:53 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,141,993 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Havana 16,560 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Havana

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 Havana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $863 in Havana, so Havana is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 18 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $243 in Havana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Havana – a meal for two runs $28 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $863 in Havana – Havana is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $863 in Havana versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Havana but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Havana 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.

Expats usually find Havana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.