Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Masaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Masaya

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $823 in Masaya, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Masaya $823

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,283 in Masaya, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Masaya $1,283

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,744 in Masaya, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Masaya $1,744

Phuket costs about 55% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Masaya are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Masaya 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.92 NIO 363

-54.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.43 NIO 1,261

-5.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.73 NIO 283

13.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.54 NIO 93.0

11.42%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.91 NIO 33.22

-4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.73 NIO 26.84

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.53 NIO 56.0

67.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.28 NIO 83.6

61.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.22 NIO 44.66

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.40 NIO 87.8

-39.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.80 NIO 65.8

-16.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.38 NIO 87.3

-12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.43 NIO 419

66.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.35 NIO 233

-48.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.68 NIO 281

42.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.95 NIO 145

-25.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.57 NIO 21.03

196.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.84 NIO 67.3

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.51 NIO 92.0

-17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.91 NIO 143

-61.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-38.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.09 NIO 39.98

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.06 NIO 38.67

-50.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 NIO 103

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.85 NIO 544

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.46 NIO 53.5

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.18 NIO 79.8

30.28%

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

$1.60 NIO 58.7

88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.59 NIO 58.2

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.85 NIO 251

-46.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.38 NIO 50.5

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

17.86%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

1.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$154 NIO 5,654

-37.58%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.83 NIO 726

-43.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.97 NIO 1,171

-47.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.06 NIO 332

-17.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$240 NIO 8,800

98.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

88.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$59.7 NIO 2,184

4.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$64.7 NIO 2,369

-56.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$123 NIO 4,504

-23.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$147 NIO 5,379

-41.58%

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

11.92

-53.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Masaya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Masaya

$260 31.6% 2.5% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Masaya

$206 25.1% 65.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Masaya

$177 21.6% 45.5% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Masaya

$152 18.5% 24.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Masaya

$18 * 2.2% 78% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2% 86.5% $61

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 $34 in Masaya. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $260 in Masaya – so Masaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇮 Masaya

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

178,835

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Masaya 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Masaya

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 Masaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,234 in Masaya. 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 $34 in Masaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $240 in Masaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.