Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matagalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Matagalpa: $810 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Matagalpa
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Matagalpa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Matagalpa

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matagalpa

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $810 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Matagalpa $810

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,231 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Matagalpa $1,231

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,652 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Matagalpa $1,652

Phuket costs about 49% more than Matagalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Matagalpa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Matagalpa 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$7.09 NIO 260

-35.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$25.36 NIO 929

28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.83 NIO 287

9.20%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.63 NIO 96.2

3.42%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.85 NIO 31.19

10.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.43 NIO 15.71

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.22 NIO 44.61

112.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.22 NIO 81.3

72.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.26 NIO 46.23

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.27 NIO 46.35

12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.81 NIO 66.3

-15.47%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$2.68 NIO 98.1

614.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.30 NIO 157

-23.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.69 NIO 245

66.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.97 NIO 145

-25.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.58 NIO 21.15

189.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.76 NIO 64.5

30.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.43 NIO 88.9

-12.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.91 NIO 143

-60.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.26 NIO 82.7

-39.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.09 NIO 40.00

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.01 NIO 36.99

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.65 NIO 97.1

60.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.13 NIO 371

79.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.21 NIO 44.26

43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.18 NIO 79.7

27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.20 NIO 7.16

1010.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.12 NIO 40.88

159.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.28 NIO 46.87

-21.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.74 NIO 247

-43.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.37 NIO 50.1

8.76%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$23.1K NIO 846.8K

15.38%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$26.4K NIO 966.5K

1.22%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$60.5 NIO 2,216

64.28%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$16.76 NIO 614

-32.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$32.63 NIO 1,195

-46.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.16 NIO 335

-17.36%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$233 NIO 8,517

140.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,180 NIO 226.3K

85.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$59.1 NIO 2,163

6.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$64.8 NIO 2,374

-55.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$122 NIO 4,466

-21.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$145 NIO 5,308

-39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$201 NIO 7,358

263.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$173 NIO 6,345

165.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$305 NIO 11.2K

587.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$248 NIO 9,083

392.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$203 NIO 7,432

142.98%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Matagalpa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Matagalpa

$173 21.4% 62.3% $287

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Matagalpa

$197 24.3% 26.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Matagalpa

$110 13.6% 14.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Matagalpa

$176 21.7% 41.7% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Matagalpa

$127 15.7% 5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Matagalpa

$18 * 2.3% 72.8% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Matagalpa

$8.3 * 1% 78.7% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $201 in Matagalpa. 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 143% higher in Phuket, 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 $25.00 in Matagalpa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $197 – making Matagalpa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇮 Matagalpa

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

159,982

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Matagalpa 17,650 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matagalpa

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 Matagalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $810 in Matagalpa – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,215 in Matagalpa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matagalpa, 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 $25.00 in Matagalpa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matagalpa, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Matagalpa 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 $810 in Matagalpa to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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