Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $872 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $872 in Las Terrenas.

Phuket $1,294
Las Terrenas $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,839 in Las Terrenas.

Phuket $2,204
Las Terrenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,805 in Las Terrenas.

Phuket $3,115
Las Terrenas $2,805

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Las Terrenas 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.51 DOP 511

-48.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$41.42 DOP 2,488

-21.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$4.91 DOP 295

77.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$0.98 DOP 59.0

177.55%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.67 DOP 40.51

38.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.40 DOP 24.16

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.44 DOP 146

3.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.04 DOP 243

-10.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.02 DOP 61.4

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.08 DOP 64.8

34.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.12 DOP 67.1

33.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.23 DOP 73.8

76.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.44 DOP 387

196.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.57 DOP 214

-4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$4.64 DOP 279

134.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.14 DOP 129

37.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.64 DOP 38.27

164.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.22 DOP 133

-1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$2.18 DOP 131

-2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.14 DOP 128

-31.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.13 DOP 67.7

21.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.92 DOP 55.4

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.02 DOP 61.2

-46.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.68 DOP 281

-5.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$6.91 DOP 415

164.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.31 DOP 139

-23.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.96 DOP 118

46.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.53 DOP 152

-40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$3.37 DOP 202

-76.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.17 DOP 70.5

27.35%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

35.73%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$23.6K DOP 1.4M

11.47%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$50.0 DOP 3,005

95.46%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$9.97 DOP 599

13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$19.68 DOP 1,182

-12.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.90 DOP 294

51.63%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$100 DOP 6,017

429.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$5,396 DOP 324.1K

248.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$27.31 DOP 1,640

125.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$44.60 DOP 2,679

-36.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$60.9 DOP 3,656

57.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$65.1 DOP 3,910

33.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$788 DOP 47.3K

-8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$385 DOP 23.1K

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,678 DOP 100.8K

16.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,632 DOP 98.0K

-14.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,809 DOP 108.6K

131.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$405 DOP 24.3K

21.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Las Terrenas

$385 44.2% 24.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5% 36.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.1% 36.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2% 27.4% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Las Terrenas

$119 13.7% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Las Terrenas

$9.8 * 1.1% 88.2% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 70.7% $47

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 $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 22% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Las Terrenas. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $170, with Las Terrenas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,713

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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 = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Las Terrenas 16,710 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Phuket, 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: $721 in Phuket versus $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $100 in Las Terrenas. 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 $41 in Las Terrenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Las Terrenas wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.