Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Quetzaltenango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango.

Phuket $1,278
Quetzaltenango $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,443 in Quetzaltenango.

Phuket $2,216
Quetzaltenango $1,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,747 in Quetzaltenango.

Phuket $3,154
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Quetzaltenango 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.77 Q 51.7

-33.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$50.9 Q 389

-36.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.68 Q 58.7

14.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.36 Q 25.69

-15.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.10 Q 8.40

-20.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.97 Q 7.44

-49.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.33 Q 25.45

-23.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.62 Q 35.27

-20.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.10 Q 16.01

-20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.57 Q 19.64

-43.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.05 Q 15.69

-26.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.36 Q 18.05

-11.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.37 Q 48.69

199.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.92 Q 60.5

-58.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.09 Q 100

-16.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.96 Q 22.58

-1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.72 Q 13.14

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.92 Q 22.34

-22.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.60 Q 12.20

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 Q 11.73

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.20 Q 16.79

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.74 Q 5.65

44.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.16 Q 8.90

-55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.35 Q 25.61

25.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.04 Q 61.5

133.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.78 Q 13.57

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.60 Q 19.84

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.12 Q 39.12

-41.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.72 Q 13.16

-40.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.34 Q 79.0

-64.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.33 Q 10.14

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-2.86%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

3.27%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$72.2 Q 551

33.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.97 Q 99.1

-13.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$46.36 Q 354

-63.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$33.27 Q 254

102.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.34 Q 48.46

18.30%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$342 Q 2,613

39.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

65.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$48.78 Q 373

27.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$47.81 Q 365

-40.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$110 Q 839

-14.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$112 Q 853

-23.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$399 Q 3,052

79.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$389 Q 2,971

26.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.62

-52.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 20.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 1.1% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 5.6% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 17.4% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 24.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 44.1% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 80.5% $57

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 $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $51 in Quetzaltenango. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $263, with Quetzaltenango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Quetzaltenango 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,707 in Quetzaltenango to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $51 in Quetzaltenango. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $342 in Quetzaltenango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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