Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Porlamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Porlamar: $629 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Porlamar, Venezuela
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Porlamar
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$629
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Porlamar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $629 in Porlamar.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Porlamar $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,007 in Porlamar.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Porlamar $1,007

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,385 in Porlamar.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Porlamar $1,385

Living in Phuket is roughly 103% more expensive than in Porlamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Porlamar 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$4.43 VES 3,928
0.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$34.61 VES 30.7K
-6.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$9.12 VES 8,078
-3.40%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$1.78 VES 1,580
58.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$1.63 VES 1,440
-46.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$1.30 VES 1,150
-62.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.48 VES 1,312
72.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.91 VES 2,582
26.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.01 VES 897
64.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$1.01 VES 898
44.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.01 VES 897
48.51%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.97 VES 1,743
6.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$4.01 VES 3,557
375.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$4.93 VES 4,364
-33.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$6.15 VES 5,451
77.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$4.10 VES 3,630
-28.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.46 VES 1,292
15.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.47 VES 1,303
53.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.48 VES 1,310
40.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.52 VES 1,343
-0.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.97 VES 861
42.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$1.02 VES 903
-49.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$1.96 VES 1,737
114.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.18 VES 5,470
204.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.94 VES 1,722
46.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.46 VES 411
215.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$14.98 VES 13.3K
278.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.28 VES 1,134
-20.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.48 VES 422
206.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$20.3K VES 18.0M
31.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$34.7K VES 30.7M
-23.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$11.89 VES 10.5K
710.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$7.67 VES 6,791
46.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$22.65 VES 20.1K
-25.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$40.65 VES 36.0K
65.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$12.74 VES 11.3K
-15.78%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$3.41 VES 3,022
119.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$30.05 VES 26.6K
1483.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$30.10 VES 26.7K
107.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$45.52 VES 40.3K
-37.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$60.7 VES 53.8K
55.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$75.3 VES 66.7K
14.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$202 VES 178.9K
254.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$147 VES 130.5K
233.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$335 VES 297.1K
474.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$196 VES 173.7K
629.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$406 VES 359.7K
928.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$152 VES 135.0K
1898.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Porlamar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$215 VES 190.6K
133.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
20
-72.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Porlamar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Porlamar
$147 70% $344
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Porlamar
$165 * 38.1% $101
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Porlamar
$42 66.1% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Porlamar
$95 21.9% $27
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Porlamar
$109 10.3% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Porlamar
$47 42.3% $35
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Porlamar
$23 * 67.1% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $202 in Porlamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Porlamar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $165, with Porlamar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇻🇪 Porlamar
🕒 Local time
03:48 3:48 AM
16:48 4:48 PM
11 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
103,496
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 886 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 986 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Porlamar 17,140 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Porlamar

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 Porlamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Porlamar cheaper than Phuket?
Porlamar is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Porlamar?
Average pay in Phuket is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Porlamar?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $202 in Porlamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $30 in Porlamar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Porlamar?
Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Porlamar?
At $629 in Porlamar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Porlamar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Porlamar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Porlamar?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Porlamar wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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