Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
Learn more

Maia Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Maia

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Maia $3,254

Phuket is about 45% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Maia is 61% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$11.42 €10.16

-61.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$50.0 €44.49

-35.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.88 €7.90

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.00 €1.78

41.50%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.93 €1.71

-53.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.45 €1.29

-67.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.23 €1.98

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.01 €3.57

-4.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.10 €0.98

57.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.69 €1.50

-13.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.53 €1.37

-1.31%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.89 €2.57

-24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.29 €11.82

48.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.93 €7.05

-57.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.73 €13.10

-24.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.23 €1.98

27.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.74 €1.55

-2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.07 €1.84

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.33 €2.07

-12.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.22 €1.97

-34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.19 €1.95

-36.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.93 €0.82

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.10 €0.98

-53.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.62 €5.89

-35.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$4.61 €4.10

303.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.31 €1.17

35.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.46 €2.19

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.47 €2.20

-8.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$44.74 €39.80

-50.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.55 €4.04

-33.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.44 €1.28

-26.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$16.93 €15.06

-77.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.10 €1.87

-30.95%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$32.3K €28.7K

-18.38%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.5K €34.2K

-29.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$106 €94.3

-9.12%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$20.07 €17.85

-44.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$38.05 €33.84

-54.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$44.89 €39.93

16.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$34.01 €30.25

-67.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.65 €7.70

-9.71%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$439 €390

26.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,437 €5,726

79.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$111 €98.9

-42.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$22.04 €19.60

30.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$75.9 €67.5

25.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$106 €94.0

-16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,072 €953

-31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,313 €1,168

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,706 €1,518

22.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,242 €1,105

-3.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,036 €2,701

14.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,673 €1,488

50.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,420 €1,263

-64.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.7

50.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 184% $851

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Maia

$259 11.9% 3.4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Maia

$164 7.5% 31.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Maia

$142 6.5% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Maia

$175 8% 44.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Maia

$62 2.9% 8.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Maia

$66 3% 68.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,072 in Maia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 184% higher in Maia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $50.0 in Maia. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $259 in Maia – so Maia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

134,988

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Maia 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 81% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,273 in Maia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $50.0 in Maia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Maia at $2,182. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.