Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Portmore

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Portmore: $1,278 and $1,250 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Portmore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,250 in Portmore.

Phuket $1,278
Portmore $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,081 in Portmore.

Phuket $2,216
Portmore $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,912 in Portmore.

Phuket $3,154
Portmore $2,912

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Portmore; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.11 JMD 1,598

-55.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$63.1 JMD 9,975

-48.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.99 JMD 1,262

10.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.27 JMD 833

-46.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.93 JMD 147

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.61 JMD 96.6

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.18 JMD 345

17.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.18 JMD 345

68.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.18 JMD 502

-47.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.64 JMD 575

-59.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.03 JMD 163

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.44 JMD 544

-39.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.29 JMD 1,784

68.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.22 JMD 982

-46.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.49 JMD 1,499

14.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.88 JMD 929

-50.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.94 JMD 622

-57.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.01 JMD 476

-25.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.02 JMD 477

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.22 JMD 509

-53.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.57 JMD 406

-46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.55 JMD 245

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.25 JMD 197

-58.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-55.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.46 JMD 1,811

63.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.87 JMD 454

-36.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.16 JMD 342

31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$2.25 JMD 355

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$50.1 JMD 7,917

13.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.92 JMD 145

228.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$3.13 JMD 494

-67.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.44 JMD 1,017

-42.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.26 JMD 200

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-39.60%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

-18.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$160 JMD 25.2K

-39.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.89 JMD 4,564

-61.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$52.8 JMD 8,346

-68.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$58.7 JMD 9,273

14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-44.32%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$281 JMD 44.4K

69.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

256.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$23.28 JMD 3,677

167.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.19 JMD 4,928

-8.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

22.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

-10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$315 JMD 49.7K

127.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$218 JMD 34.4K

125.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$667 JMD 105.3K

189.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$605 JMD 95.5K

136.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

-45.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

-48.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

-60.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Portmore

$218 17.4% 55.6% $273

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Portmore

$337 27% 26.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 94% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 16% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 55.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 4.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 7.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $315 in Portmore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portmore pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $63 in Portmore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $337 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

03:48 3:48 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

170,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Portmore 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 61% 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 $315 in Portmore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $281 in Portmore. 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 $63 in Portmore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Portmore 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.