Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Portsmouth, Dominica

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $921 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Portsmouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $921 in Portsmouth.

Phuket $1,278
Portsmouth $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,637 in Portsmouth.

Phuket $2,216
Portsmouth $1,637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Portsmouth.

Phuket $3,154
Portsmouth $2,353

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Portsmouth 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.42 EC$14.64

-17.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$54.6 EC$147

-40.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.48 EC$17.51

35.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.56 EC$6.90

10.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.21 EC$5.96

-60.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.83 EC$4.94

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.56 EC$6.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.73 EC$10.06

-1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.70 EC$7.30

-38.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.25 EC$6.08

-35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.05 EC$5.54

-26.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.71 EC$18.12

-68.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$2.63 EC$7.10

625.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.57 EC$15.04

-40.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$7.43 EC$20.06

-60.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.61 EC$7.05

-35.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.10 EC$11.07

-45.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.01 EC$10.83

-48.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.78 EC$7.50

-45.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$2.80 EC$7.57

-50.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.83 EC$4.95

-41.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.81 EC$4.88

-71.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.91 EC$29.47

72.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.89 EC$5.10

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.65 EC$7.17

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.77 EC$2.08

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.78 EC$10.22

-20.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.63 EC$9.80

-71.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

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

$11.26 ฿380

$41.40 EC$112

-72.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$64.8 EC$175

-73.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.86 EC$99.5

82.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.22 EC$30.31

-33.16%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$55.6 EC$150

12.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$24.30 EC$65.6

16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$56.1 EC$152

67.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$67.7 EC$183

26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$254 EC$686

181.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$220 EC$593

123.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$656 EC$1,772

193.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$637 EC$1,720

124.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$641 EC$1,731

-21.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Portsmouth

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Portsmouth

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Portsmouth

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portsmouth

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portsmouth

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Portsmouth

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Portsmouth

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $254 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Portsmouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,633

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Portsmouth 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $254 in Portsmouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $55 in Portsmouth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Portsmouth are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.