Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,346 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Oranjestad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,346 in Oranjestad.

Phuket $1,278
Oranjestad $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,175 in Oranjestad.

Phuket $2,216
Oranjestad $4,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $6,004 in Oranjestad.

Phuket $3,154
Oranjestad $6,004

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Oranjestad is 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.02 AWG 39.40

-79.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$79.3 AWG 142

-59.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.15 AWG 18.17

-13.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.33 AWG 7.74

-34.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.48 AWG 2.65

-41.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.67 AWG 2.99

-70.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.97 AWG 5.32

-13.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.91 AWG 6.99

-5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 AWG 3.43

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.89 AWG 5.17

-49.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.83 AWG 5.06

-47.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.36 AWG 9.59

-61.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.53 AWG 22.42

52.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.17 AWG 16.41

-64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.36 AWG 22.12

-11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.73 AWG 8.47

-38.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.30 AWG 4.12

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.11 AWG 9.14

-55.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.56 AWG 6.37

-41.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.16 AWG 3.87

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.03 AWG 3.63

-32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.59 AWG 4.63

-58.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.59 AWG 2.84

-67.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.17 AWG 18.19

-58.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.19 AWG 18.24

84.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.95 AWG 7.08

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.42 AWG 7.90

-35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$2.14 AWG 3.83

-32.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$30.60 AWG 54.8

85.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$16.76 AWG 30.00

-81.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$3.90 AWG 6.98

-73.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$24.70 AWG 44.20

-85.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.05 AWG 3.67

-28.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$26.3K AWG 47.1K

1.66%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.9K AWG 62.5K

-23.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$256 AWG 458

-62.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$48.94 AWG 87.6

-76.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$107 AWG 191

-84.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$63.3 AWG 113

6.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$25.89 AWG 46.32

-58.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.75 AWG 21.02

-36.17%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$252 AWG 451

88.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$8,767 AWG 15.7K

28.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$58.9 AWG 105

5.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$51.4 AWG 92.0

-44.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$107 AWG 191

-11.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$105 AWG 188

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$932 AWG 1,668

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$967 AWG 1,731

-49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,676 AWG 4,790

-28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$3,022 AWG 5,408

-52.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,284 AWG 4,087

82.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,709 AWG 3,059

78.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,690 AWG 3,024

-70.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.25

-10.88%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Oranjestad

$967 41.3% 97.1% $477

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Oranjestad

$366 15.6% 37.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Oranjestad

$412 17.5% 231% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Oranjestad

$145 6.2% 18.8% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Oranjestad

$294 12.5% 141% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Oranjestad

$87 3.7% 5.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Oranjestad

$75 3.2% 6.9% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $932 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oranjestad pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in Oranjestad 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

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

03:31 3:31 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Oranjestad 17,410 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Oranjestad

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 Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,346 in Oranjestad, so Phuket is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $932 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Oranjestad runs roughly 46% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $252 in Oranjestad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,346 in Oranjestad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Oranjestad. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Oranjestad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Oranjestad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.