Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maracaibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $784 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Maracaibo
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Maracaibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $784 in Maracaibo.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Maracaibo $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,297 in Maracaibo.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Maracaibo $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,811 in Maracaibo.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Maracaibo $1,811

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in Maracaibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Maracaibo 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$10.33 VES 9,159
-56.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$39.75 VES 35.2K
-18.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.77 VES 7,774
0.46%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$2.75 VES 2,441
2.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$1.15 VES 1,020
-24.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$1.31 VES 1,159
-62.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$2.21 VES 1,963
15.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.08 VES 2,728
19.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.97 VES 1,744
-15.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$2.11 VES 1,874
-30.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$1.07 VES 953
40.19%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$3.78 VES 3,350
-44.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$6.55 VES 5,808
191.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.38 VES 5,660
-48.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$7.37 VES 6,532
48.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$4.82 VES 4,277
-39.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.36 VES 1,202
24.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.56 VES 1,385
44.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.36 VES 1,205
52.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$1.23 VES 1,095
22.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$1.74 VES 1,543
-20.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$1.02 VES 903
4.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$1.98 VES 1,757
-73.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.93 VES 2,597
43.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$9.08 VES 8,054
106.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.09 VES 967
66.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$2.62 VES 2,325
8.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.47 VES 416
208.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$42.53 VES 37.7K
33.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$4.08 VES 3,621
-25.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$1.95 VES 1,729
-47.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$17.66 VES 15.7K
-79.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$0.74 VES 657
98.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$15.2K VES 13.4M
76.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$27.6K VES 24.5M
-3.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$62.5 VES 55.4K
54.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$7.45 VES 6,604
51.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$25.27 VES 22.4K
-33.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$33.17 VES 29.4K
102.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$28.71 VES 25.5K
-62.63%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$4.89 VES 4,332
53.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$148 VES 131.0K
222.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$7,133 VES 6.3M
57.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$27.31 VES 24.2K
128.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$32.34 VES 28.7K
-12.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$61.9 VES 54.9K
52.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$56.7 VES 50.2K
51.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$159 VES 141.2K
349.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$95.2 VES 84.4K
415.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$301 VES 266.8K
540.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$196 VES 174.0K
628.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$765 VES 678.3K
445.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$508 VES 450.0K
499.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Maracaibo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$215 VES 190.8K
133.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
20
-72.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Maracaibo
$95 80.6% $396
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Maracaibo
$243 8.7% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Maracaibo
$95 23.5% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Maracaibo
$80 34.2% $42
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Maracaibo
$169 38.9% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Maracaibo
$43 47.8% $39
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Maracaibo
$58 17.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $159 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $40 in Maracaibo. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $243, with Maracaibo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇻🇪 Maracaibo
🕒 Local time
15:58 3:58 PM
04:58 4:58 AM
11 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
2,000,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 989 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Maracaibo 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Maracaibo

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 Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maracaibo cheaper than Phuket?
Maracaibo is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Maracaibo?
Average pay in Phuket is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Maracaibo?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $159 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $148 in Maracaibo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Maracaibo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Maracaibo?
At $784 in Maracaibo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maracaibo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Maracaibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Maracaibo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Maracaibo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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