Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,483 in Palencia, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Palencia
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Palencia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Palencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Palencia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,483 in Palencia.

Phuket $1,278
Palencia $1,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,192 in Palencia.

Phuket $2,216
Palencia $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,900 in Palencia.

Phuket $3,154
Palencia $2,900

Living in Phuket costs roughly 14% less than in Palencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Palencia is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.96 €9.82

-59.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$42.62 €38.17

-23.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.86 €7.04

12.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.65 €1.47

71.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.22 €1.99

-60.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.11 €0.99

-55.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.96 €3.55

-35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.25 €2.91

13.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.21 €1.09

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.86 €1.66

-21.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.37 €1.23

9.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.32 €3.87

-51.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.06 €10.80

58.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.08 €7.23

-59.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.87 €16.00

-38.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.41 €3.05

-14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.52 €1.36

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.65 €2.37

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.30 €2.96

-36.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.35 €2.11

-35.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.20 €1.97

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.29 €1.15

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 €0.79

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.46 €5.78

-34.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.93 €8.90

89.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.34 €1.20

35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.78 €1.59

59.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.54 €1.38

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$32.89 €29.46

72.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.39 €4.83

-43.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.26 €1.13

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$29.88 €26.76

-87.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.77 €1.59

-16.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$37.3K €33.4K

-28.14%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$28.7K €25.7K

-6.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$145 €130

-33.65%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.19 €16.30

-38.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.72 €20.35

-25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.71 €40.04

50.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.56 €13.93

-31.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.08 €8.13

-17.40%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$474 €425

0.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.2K €9,155

10.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$93.1 €83.4

-33.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.15 €28.80

-11.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$108 €97.1

-13.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$119 €106

-27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$674 €603

6.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$560 €501

-12.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$989 €886

94.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$847 €759

68.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,375 €3,022

23.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,211 €1,980

37.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,021 €1,810

-75.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.43

62.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palencia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Palencia

$560 37.8% 14% $69

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Palencia

$294 19.8% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Palencia

$186 12.6% 49.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Palencia

$159 10.7% 30.1% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Palencia

$171 11.5% 40.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Palencia

$63 4.2% 23.5% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Palencia

$51 3.4% 28.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $674 in Palencia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palencia pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Palencia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $294 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Palencia

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

76,331

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Palencia 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Palencia

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 Palencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $674 in Palencia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Palencia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Palencia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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