Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ibarra

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $664 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
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Ibarra Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ibarra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $664 in Ibarra.

Phuket $1,294
Ibarra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,152 in Ibarra.

Phuket $2,204
Ibarra $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,639 in Ibarra.

Phuket $3,115
Ibarra $1,639

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Ibarra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Ibarra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.66 $2.66

65.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$25.40 $25.40

27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.88 $5.88

47.96%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.23 $2.23

21.97%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.05 $1.05

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.56 $0.56

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.98 $1.98

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.27 $2.27

59.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.99 $0.99

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.02 $1.02

42.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.46 $1.46

2.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.13 $2.13

1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$3.79 $3.79

403.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$5.33 $5.33

-36.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.76 $7.76

40.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.01 $2.01

46.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.20 $1.20

40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.33 $1.33

64.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$0.92 $0.92

130.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.48 $0.48

204.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.02 $1.02

34.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.70 $0.70

54.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.03 $1.03

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.02 $3.02

46.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.73 $8.73

109.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.53 $1.53

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.15 $3.15

-8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.37 $0.37

291.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 $1.52

-0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.47 $1.47

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$9.82 $9.82

-60.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.69 $0.69

115.94%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$22.9K $22.9K

17.25%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$30.0K $30.0K

-12.04%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$28.33 $28.33

245.25%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$14.95 $14.95

-24.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$18.29 $18.29

-6.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$29.75 $29.75

129.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$16.24 $16.24

-32.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.64 $6.64

11.90%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$111 $111

376.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$8,911 $8,911

110.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$59.7 $59.7

3.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$45.20 $45.20

-37.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$91.6 $91.6

4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$50.6 $50.6

71.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$228 $228

215.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$178 $178

185.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$817 $817

138.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$508 $508

174.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$759 $759

452.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$625 $625

428.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$603 $603

-18.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ibarra: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ibarra

$178 26.9% 65% $331

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ibarra

$173 26.1% 35.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ibarra

$62 9.3% 51.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ibarra

$111 16.7% 9.4% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ibarra

$87 13% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ibarra

$43 6.5% 48.3% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ibarra

$10 * 1.6% 84.4% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $228 in Ibarra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibarra pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Ibarra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $173 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

108,666

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ibarra 19,020 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ibarra

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 Ibarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $228 in Ibarra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $111 in Ibarra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibarra – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $664 in Ibarra versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ibarra 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.