Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mandeville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $810 in Mandeville.

Phuket $1,278
Mandeville $810

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,395 in Mandeville.

Phuket $2,216
Mandeville $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,980 in Mandeville.

Phuket $3,154
Mandeville $1,980

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Mandeville 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.47 JMD 1,021

-30.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

-55.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.04 JMD 1,268

9.58%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.24 JMD 353

26.34%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.12 JMD 176

-22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.68 JMD 108

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.18 JMD 344

17.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.85 JMD 450

29.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.25 JMD 670

-60.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.77 JMD 279

-17.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.56 JMD 246

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.63 JMD 572

-42.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.61 JMD 1,830

64.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.23 JMD 983

-47.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.22 JMD 1,612

6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.99 JMD 944

-51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.84 JMD 605

-55.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.15 JMD 1,127

-68.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.07 JMD 484

-32.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.27 JMD 515

-53.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.62 JMD 413

-47.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.15 JMD 497

-66.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.49 JMD 235

-65.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.64 JMD 1,520

-56.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.36 JMD 1,791

65.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.94 JMD 463

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.10 JMD 647

-30.73%

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

$1.24 JMD 196

143.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.19 JMD 504

-68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.43 JMD 1,013

-42.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.47 JMD 232

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-38.67%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-19.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

1.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.22 JMD 3,505

-49.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$50.9 JMD 8,033

-66.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.28 JMD 2,095

-43.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$365 JMD 57.6K

30.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

37.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.80 JMD 3,753

162.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.27 JMD 4,932

-9.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$103 JMD 16.3K

-16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$467 JMD 73.6K

53.42%

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 Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mandeville

$366 45.1% 37.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mandeville

$168 20.8% 35.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandeville

$106 13.1% 13% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandeville

$127 15.6% 4% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 67.7% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1% 75.6% $53

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 $716 in Phuket and $467 in Mandeville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $73 in Mandeville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $366 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,115

💱 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 = 37.59 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 Mandeville 17,100 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mandeville

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 Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,215 in Mandeville 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 $467 in Mandeville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $365 in Mandeville. 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 $73 in Mandeville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $810 in Mandeville versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville 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 Mandeville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.