Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rincon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,256 in Rincon, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Rincon
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Rincon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rincon

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rincon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,256 in Rincon.

Phuket $1,294
Rincon $2,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,248 in Rincon.

Phuket $2,204
Rincon $3,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,239 in Rincon.

Phuket $3,115
Rincon $4,239

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Rincon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Rincon is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$14.92 $14.92

-70.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$49.53 $49.53

-34.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$9.14 $9.14

-4.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.47 $3.47

-21.61%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.89 $1.89

-50.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.47 $1.47

-65.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.96 $2.96

-14.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.98 $4.98

-27.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.13 $2.13

-18.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$3.60 $3.60

-59.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.35 $2.35

-36.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$7.84 $7.84

-72.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$12.30 $12.30

55.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.87 $9.87

-65.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$13.45 $13.45

-18.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$5.11 $5.11

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.65 $2.65

-36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.75 $4.75

-53.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.90 $4.90

-56.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.85 $3.85

-62.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$3.98 $3.98

-65.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$3.52 $3.52

-69.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.65 $1.65

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.90 $11.90

-62.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$15.34 $15.34

18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.99 $2.99

-40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$4.07 $4.07

-29.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.48 $2.48

-39.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.53 $1.53

-49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$41.41 $41.41

-90.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.26 $1.26

18.25%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$35.3K $35.3K

-23.85%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.2K $28.2K

-6.73%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$327 $327

-70.05%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$19.72 $19.72

-42.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$40.03 $40.03

-57.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$40.41 $40.41

69.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.41 $10.41

-28.63%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$809 $809

-34.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$12.0K $12.0K

56.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$56.6 $56.6

8.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$62.1 $62.1

-54.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$108 $108

-10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$116 $116

-25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,188 $1,188

-39.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,001 $1,001

-49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,785 $1,785

9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,673 $1,673

-16.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,275 $1,275

-61.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rincon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rincon

$1K 44.4% 96.7% $492

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rincon

$417 18.5% 56.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rincon

$386 17.1% 206% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rincon

$154 6.8% 25.5% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rincon

$227 10% 89.5% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rincon

$61 2.7% 26.4% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rincon

$10 * 0.5% 84.6% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $1,188 in Rincon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rincon pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $50 in Rincon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $417 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Rincon

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

19:26 7:26 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,973

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rincon 16,700 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rincon

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 Rincon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,188 in Rincon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $809 in Rincon. 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 $50 in Rincon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,256 in Rincon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rincon. 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 Rincon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Rincon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.