Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Dulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Dulce: $745 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rio Dulce

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rio Dulce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $745 in Rio Dulce.

Phuket $1,294
Rio Dulce $745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,244 in Rio Dulce.

Phuket $2,204
Rio Dulce $1,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,744 in Rio Dulce.

Phuket $3,115
Rio Dulce $1,744

Living in Phuket is roughly 74% more expensive than in Rio Dulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Rio Dulce 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.62 Q 50.6

-33.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$50.7 Q 387

-36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.63 Q 58.3

14.02%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.31 Q 25.30

-17.82%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.15 Q 8.79

-19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.97 Q 7.43

-48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.30 Q 25.19

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.67 Q 35.69

-22.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.05 Q 15.65

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.98 Q 22.73

-51.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.06 Q 15.72

-27.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.37 Q 18.12

-8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.44 Q 49.16

196.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$9.34 Q 71.4

-63.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.51 Q 103

-19.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.94 Q 30.09

-25.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.72 Q 13.15

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.93 Q 22.35

-25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.63 Q 12.48

30.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.53 Q 11.71

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$2.13 Q 16.26

-35.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.68 Q 5.16

58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.19 Q 9.09

-53.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.13 Q 31.57

7.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.29 Q 63.3

120.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.79 Q 13.68

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.69 Q 20.55

7.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.26 Q 40.15

-71.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$10.36 Q 79.1

-62.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.39 Q 10.61

7.19%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$27.8K Q 212.0K

-3.19%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$25.6K Q 195.1K

3.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$72.5 Q 554

34.91%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$28.64 Q 219

-60.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$46.66 Q 356

-63.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.36 Q 48.60

16.82%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$337 Q 2,570

57.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$6,807 Q 52.0K

175.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$49.86 Q 381

23.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$46.66 Q 356

-39.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$120 Q 913

-19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$112 Q 854

-22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio Dulce: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rio Dulce

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rio Dulce

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rio Dulce

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rio Dulce

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rio Dulce

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rio Dulce

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rio Dulce

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $51 in Rio Dulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇹 Rio Dulce

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

02:16 2:16 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Rio Dulce 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Dulce

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 Rio Dulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Dulce is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,117 in Rio Dulce 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $337 in Rio Dulce. 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 $51 in Rio Dulce. 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.