Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,258 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Isabela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,258 in Isabela.

Phuket $1,294
Isabela $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,974 in Isabela.

Phuket $2,204
Isabela $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,690 in Isabela.

Phuket $3,115
Isabela $2,690

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Isabela 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$19.01 $19.01

-76.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$81.5 $81.5

-60.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$8.95 $8.95

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.62 $3.62

-24.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.91 $1.91

-51.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.51 $1.51

-66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$3.02 $3.02

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.09 $5.09

-28.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.97 $1.97

-11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$2.81 $2.81

-48.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.21 $1.21

23.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.95 $2.95

-26.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$10.82 $10.82

76.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.46 $6.46

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$13.50 $13.50

-19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$4.37 $4.37

-32.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.62 $2.62

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.89 $4.89

-55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.71 $4.71

-54.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$3.85 $3.85

-62.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$4.07 $4.07

-66.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$3.52 $3.52

-69.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.64 $1.64

-66.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.76 $11.76

-62.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$15.43 $15.43

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.99 $2.99

-40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.96 $3.96

-27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$2.46 $2.46

-38.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.54 $1.54

-49.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$41.55 $41.55

-90.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$0.88 $0.88

69.32%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$34.8K $34.8K

-22.70%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

-6.21%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$315 $315

-68.93%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$68.8 $68.8

-83.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$70.2 $70.2

-75.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.38 $10.38

-28.42%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$837 $837

-36.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$12.7K $12.7K

47.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$56.7 $56.7

8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$61.7 $61.7

-54.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$110 $110

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$115 $115

-24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isabela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Isabela

$358 28.4% 34% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Isabela

$454 36.1% 259% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Isabela

$154 12.3% 25.7% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Isabela

$261 20.8% 119% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 75.1% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 84.6% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $81 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $358 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

45,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Isabela 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,887 in Isabela to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $837 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Isabela is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Isabela are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.