Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ponta Delgada

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ponta Delgada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Ponta Delgada.

Phuket $1,278
Ponta Delgada $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,363 in Ponta Delgada.

Phuket $2,216
Ponta Delgada $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,067 in Ponta Delgada.

Phuket $3,154
Ponta Delgada $3,067

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Ponta Delgada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ponta Delgada is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.61 €12.23

-67.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$44.83 €40.28

-27.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.72 €9.64

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.84 €1.65

53.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.83 €1.65

-52.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.84 €1.66

-73.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.15 €2.83

-18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.60 €3.24

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.93 €0.84

78.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.58 €1.42

-7.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.79 €1.61

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.09 €2.77

-32.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.78 €15.08

13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.35 €10.20

-70.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.07 €15.34

-36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.34 €2.10

25.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.66 €1.49

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.17 €1.95

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.10 €2.78

-32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 €1.39

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.62 €1.45

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.80 €2.52

-61.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.07 €0.96

-51.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.12 €4.60

-17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.79 €5.20

224.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.36 €2.12

-22.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.13 €2.81

-9.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.66 €1.49

-12.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$56.1 €50.4

1.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.51 €4.95

-45.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.42 €1.27

-28.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.74 €5.15

-35.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.98 €1.78

-25.76%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.7K €30.3K

-20.52%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.1K €35.2K

-31.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$143 €128

-32.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.68 €16.79

-39.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.32 €38.92

-61.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$33.39 €30.00

101.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$19.50 €17.52

-44.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.24 €8.30

-18.83%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$285 €256

67.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,594 €5,925

70.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$47.31 €42.51

31.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.91 €30.47

-16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$65.9 €59.3

42.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$136 €122

-37.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,152 €1,035

-37.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$689 €619

-28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,401 €1,259

37.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$931 €837

53.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,033 €3,624

3.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,977 €2,675

2.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,387 €1,246

-63.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.71

50.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5% 40.3% $198

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7% 16.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4% 64.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7% 4.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1% 65% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1% 36.9% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5% 6.7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ponta Delgada pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in Ponta Delgada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $310 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

8 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

67,233

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ponta Delgada 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ponta Delgada

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 Ponta Delgada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $285 in Ponta Delgada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $45 in Ponta Delgada. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ponta Delgada. 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.

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