Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,599 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Madeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,599 in Madeira.

Phuket $1,278
Madeira $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,361 in Madeira.

Phuket $2,216
Madeira $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,124 in Madeira.

Phuket $3,154
Madeira $3,124

Living in Phuket costs roughly 20% less than in Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Madeira is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.47 €10.30

-61.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$46.16 €41.47

-29.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.23 €8.29

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.06 €1.85

37.38%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.86 €1.67

-53.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.40 €1.26

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.26 €2.03

13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.55 €3.19

3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.10 €0.99

50.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.52 €1.37

-3.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.61 €1.45

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.02 €2.71

-30.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.20 €10.06

70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.70 €6.92

-57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.02 €12.60

-22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.36 €2.12

24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.41 €1.27

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.85 €1.67

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.50 €2.25

-16.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 €1.37

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.94 €1.74

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.56 €1.40

-31.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.83 €0.75

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.14 €5.52

-31.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.34 €4.80

251.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.24 €1.12

46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.41 €2.16

17.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.27 €2.04

-36.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$42.12 €37.83

34.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.13 €3.71

-26.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.81 €0.73

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.47 €15.69

-78.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.91 €1.72

-23.04%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.7K €31.2K

-22.84%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.2K €35.2K

-31.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$137 €123

-29.85%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.23 €19.07

-46.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$41.41 €37.19

-59.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$44.27 €39.77

51.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.51 €15.73

-38.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.15 €7.32

-7.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$476 €428

-0.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,168 €7,337

37.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$72.5 €65.1

-13.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$38.12 €34.24

-25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$92.4 €83.0

2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$93.9 €84.4

-8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$910 €817

-21.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$725 €651

-32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,465 €1,316

31.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,179 €1,059

21.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,005 €2,700

38.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,314 €2,079

31.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.01

11.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Madeira

$725 45.3% 47.6% $234

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Madeira

$246 15.4% 7.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Madeira

$200 12.5% 60.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 9.6% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Madeira

$176 11% 44.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Madeira

$61 3.8% 26.3% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Madeira

$59 3.7% 15.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $910 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $46 in Madeira. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $246, with Madeira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

154

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Madeira 11,830 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Madeira

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 Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,399 in Madeira 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $910 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,599 in Madeira – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madeira runs roughly 26% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,599 in Madeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Madeira. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Madeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.