Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $999 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
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Lucea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lucea

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $999 in Lucea, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Lucea $999

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,656 in Lucea, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Lucea $1,656

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,313 in Lucea, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Lucea $2,313

Phuket costs about 28% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Lucea are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Lucea 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.29 JMD 2,096

-66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

-56.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.35 JMD 1,317

5.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.20 JMD 820

-45.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.20 JMD 188

-27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.70 JMD 110

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.17 JMD 342

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.11 JMD 490

18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.23 JMD 667

-60.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.67 JMD 579

-60.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.56 JMD 246

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.51 JMD 553

-40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.33 JMD 1,787

68.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.28 JMD 991

-47.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.36 JMD 1,634

5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.17 JMD 973

-52.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.93 JMD 620

-57.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.48 JMD 1,179

-69.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.12 JMD 492

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.18 JMD 501

-52.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.70 JMD 426

-48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.12 JMD 493

-65.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.50 JMD 236

-65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.20 JMD 1,451

-54.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.20 JMD 1,767

67.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.79 JMD 440

-34.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.03 JMD 636

-29.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.29 JMD 203

134.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.07 JMD 484

-66.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.38 JMD 1,006

-42.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.45 JMD 229

1.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-39.04%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

-19.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$166 JMD 26.1K

-41.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.97 JMD 4,568

-61.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.9 JMD 8,180

-67.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.26 JMD 2,091

-43.44%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$359 JMD 56.6K

32.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,142 JMD 1.3M

38.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$24.01 JMD 3,786

159.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.87 JMD 4,868

-7.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$78.9 JMD 12.4K

19.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$101 JMD 16.0K

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lucea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lucea

$386 38.6% 44.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lucea

$246 24.7% 97.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lucea

$106 10.6% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lucea

$218 21.9% 79.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 67.8% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 76.4% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $75 in Lucea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $386 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,377

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lucea 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 28% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,499 in Lucea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $75 in Lucea. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $999 in Lucea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $999 in Lucea to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.