Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Port of Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,632 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Port of Spain
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Port of Spain Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Port of Spain

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 Port of Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,632 in Port of Spain.

Phuket $1,207
Port of Spain $1,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,763 in Port of Spain.

Phuket $2,037
Port of Spain $2,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,894 in Port of Spain.

Phuket $2,867
Port of Spain $3,894

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Port of Spain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Port of Spain is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.39 TTD 69.9

-55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$88.1 TTD 592

-63.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.08 TTD 61.1

-5.84%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.79 TTD 25.51

-28.23%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.99 TTD 6.67

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.77 TTD 5.15

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.14 TTD 14.38

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.61 TTD 24.29

6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.47 TTD 16.62

-29.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.46 TTD 16.53

-41.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.81 TTD 18.92

-45.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.46 TTD 30.03

-51.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.59 TTD 44.36

190.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.89 TTD 66.5

-66.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.36 TTD 76.4

-1.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.54 TTD 37.28

-46.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.11 TTD 20.95

-45.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.70 TTD 24.86

-37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.38 TTD 29.46

-51.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.16 TTD 14.54

-29.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.87 TTD 12.56

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.90 TTD 12.77

-41.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.35 TTD 9.05

-59.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.90 TTD 39.69

-27.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$19.26 TTD 130

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.21 TTD 14.85

-21.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.94 TTD 19.77

-5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.35 TTD 9.10

64.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$135 TTD 908

-83.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.06 TTD 7.10

174.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.26 TTD 8.49

-19.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$14.48 TTD 97.4

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.16 TTD 7.84

28.45%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$36.7K TTD 246.7K

-27.27%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$41.2K TTD 276.9K

-35.11%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$90.6 TTD 609

9.72%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$51.6 TTD 347

-78.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$56.8 TTD 382

-69.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$57.4 TTD 386

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$12.93 TTD 87.0

-16.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.69 TTD 58.4

-12.89%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$394 TTD 2,649

41.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

5.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.4 TTD 366

15.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$51.7 TTD 347

-44.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$147 TTD 987

-34.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$105 TTD 703

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,003 TTD 6,750

-27.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$515 TTD 3,465

-10.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,184 TTD 14.7K

-4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,210 TTD 8,138

1.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,493 TTD 30.2K

-23.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,984 TTD 13.3K

25.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$757 TTD 5,090

-34.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Port of Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Port of Spain

$515 31.6% 12% $55

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Port of Spain

$354 21.7% 32.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Port of Spain

$199 12.2% 55.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Port of Spain

$161 9.9% 29.6% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Port of Spain

$181 11.1% 49% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Port of Spain

$75 4.6% 10.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Port of Spain

$148 9.1% 280% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,003 in Port of Spain. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port of Spain pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $88.0 in Port of Spain for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $354 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

15:56 3:56 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,074 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Port of Spain 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Port of Spain

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 Port of Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Port of Spain. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,003 in Port of Spain. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $394 in Port of Spain. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Port of Spain. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,632 in Port of Spain, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port of Spain. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Port of Spain, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Port of Spain are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Port of Spain. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.