Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Placetas

For one person, living is cheaper in Placetas: $1,240 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Placetas
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Placetas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Placetas

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Placetas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,240 in Placetas.

Phuket $1,294
Placetas $1,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,462 in Placetas.

Phuket $2,204
Placetas $1,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,685 in Placetas.

Phuket $3,115
Placetas $1,685

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Placetas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Placetas 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.67 CUP 88.1

19.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$13.39 CUP 321

141.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$4.98 CUP 120

74.70%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$1.05 CUP 25.20

159.05%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$1.53 CUP 36.67

-39.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.94 CUP 22.62

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.22 CUP 29.39

107.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$1.99 CUP 47.72

82.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.02 CUP 48.39

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.43 CUP 34.28

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$0.97 CUP 23.32

54.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.23 CUP 29.45

76.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$4.32 CUP 104

341.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$2.97 CUP 71.2

14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$8.70 CUP 209

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.82 CUP 43.73

61.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.03 CUP 24.71

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.73 CUP 41.56

26.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.13 CUP 27.13

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.03 CUP 24.61

41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.97 CUP 23.36

41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.78 CUP 18.77

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.52 CUP 12.58

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$1.63 CUP 39.17

171.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$5.38 CUP 129

239.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.78 CUP 42.64

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.12 CUP 50.9

35.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.21 CUP 5.00

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$19.87 CUP 477

176.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.61 CUP 62.7

-42.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.36 CUP 8.72

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$14.84 CUP 356

-74.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.27 CUP 30.50

17.32%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$77.3K CUP 1.9M

-65.21%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$66.7K CUP 1.6M

-60.52%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$34.38 CUP 825

184.50%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$15.03 CUP 361

-24.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$88.8 CUP 2,130

-80.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$39.72 CUP 953

72.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$9.88 CUP 237

10.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$0.82 CUP 19.72

806.10%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$118 CUP 2,841

348.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$10.9K CUP 260.5K

73.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$44.39 CUP 1,065

38.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$30.35 CUP 728

-6.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$50.8 CUP 1,218

89.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$65.0 CUP 1,559

33.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$203 CUP 4,881

254.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$709 CUP 17.0K

-28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$934 CUP 22.4K

108.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$606 CUP 14.6K

130.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$325 CUP 7,805

1189.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$364 CUP 8,742

805.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$53.6 CUP 1,286

817.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.1

-38.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Placetas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Placetas

$709 57.2% 39.3% $200

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Placetas

$163 13.2% 38.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Placetas

$138 11.2% 9.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Placetas

$86 6.9% 30.2% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Placetas

$77 6.2% 35.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Placetas

$41 3.3% 50.3% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Placetas

$25 2% 62% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $203 in Placetas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 9.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Placetas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $163 per month, with Placetas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇺 Placetas

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,615

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.97 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Placetas 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Placetas

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 Placetas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Placetas is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 9.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $203 in Placetas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $118 in Placetas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Placetas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Placetas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.