Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Ayora

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Ayora: $841 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto Ayora

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto Ayora

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $841 in Puerto Ayora.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto Ayora $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,370 in Puerto Ayora.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto Ayora $1,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,898 in Puerto Ayora.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto Ayora $1,898

Living in Phuket is roughly 52% more expensive than in Puerto Ayora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Puerto Ayora 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.66 $3.66

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$42.00 $42.00

-22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.51 $7.51

17.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.75 $2.75

2.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.88 $0.88

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.74 $0.74

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.55 $2.55

0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.84 $3.84

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.07 $1.07

55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.74 $1.74

-16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.52 $1.52

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.13 $2.13

-1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.51 $6.51

192.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.35 $5.35

-38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.29 $7.29

49.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.81 $1.81

61.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.09 $1.09

55.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.23 $1.23

82.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.12 $1.12

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.20 $1.20

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.06 $1.06

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.70 $0.70

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.03 $1.03

-49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.15 $5.15

-18.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.02 $8.02

134.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.54 $1.54

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.05 $3.05

-6.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.34 $0.34

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.40 $1.40

115.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.29 $1.29

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$10.18 $10.18

-63.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.70 $0.70

110.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$20.9K $20.9K

28.35%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$34.6K $34.6K

-22.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$34.00 $34.00

183.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.45 $11.45

-1.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$26.26 $26.26

-35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$31.96 $31.96

110.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$17.85 $17.85

-39.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.08 $7.08

5.93%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$327 $327

45.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$4,955 $4,955

127.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$54.9 $54.9

13.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$45.38 $45.38

-37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$111 $111

-15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$79.8 $79.8

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$475 $475

50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$283 $283

73.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$697 $697

176.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$545 $545

162.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$808 $808

-37.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.09

-44.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto Ayora: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto Ayora

$283 33.7% 42.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto Ayora

$188 22.3% 29.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto Ayora

$72 8.5% 42.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Ayora

$131 15.6% 7.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Ayora

$112 13.3% 8.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto Ayora

$46 5.5% 43.9% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto Ayora

$9.2 * 1.1% 87% $61

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 $475 in Puerto Ayora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Ayora pays 61% 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 $42 in Puerto Ayora. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $188, with Puerto Ayora cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇨 Puerto Ayora

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,696

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Puerto Ayora 18,770 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Ayora

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 Puerto Ayora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Ayora is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% 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 $475 in Puerto Ayora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $327 in Puerto Ayora. 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 $42 in Puerto Ayora. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Puerto Ayora but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Ayora 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.

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