Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $1,234 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rio Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,234 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $1,278
Rio Grande $1,234

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,939 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $2,216
Rio Grande $1,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,643 in Rio Grande.

Phuket $3,154
Rio Grande $2,643

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Rio Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rio Grande 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.16 $19.16

-76.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$81.8 $81.8

-60.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.25 $9.25

-4.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$3.49 $3.49

-18.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$1.85 $1.85

-52.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$1.51 $1.51

-67.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.97 $2.97

-13.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.05 $5.05

-27.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.27 $1.27

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$3.05 $3.05

-52.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.31 $2.31

-35.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$5.54 $5.54

-62.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.72 $12.72

49.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.38 $9.38

-64.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.29 $13.29

-17.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$5.10 $5.10

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.52 $2.52

-32.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.93 $4.93

-54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$4.94 $4.94

-57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.82 $3.82

-60.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$2.24 $2.24

-38.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

$1.98 $1.98

-45.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$1.60 $1.60

-67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.85 $11.85

-64.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$14.81 $14.81

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$3.11 $3.11

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.94 $3.94

-27.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.53 $2.53

19.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$1.47 $1.47

-30.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$42.15 $42.15

-91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.18 $1.18

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$35.1K $35.1K

-23.71%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$28.0K $28.0K

-4.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$316 $316

-69.50%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$70.6 $70.6

-84.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$69.0 $69.0

-75.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

$11.15 $11.15

502.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.81 $7.81

-3.97%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$806 $806

-40.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

$12.3K $12.3K

-8.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$56.7 $56.7

9.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$24.91 $24.91

14.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$89.9 $89.9

4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$49.68 $49.68

72.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio Grande: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rio Grande

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rio Grande

$381 30.9% 43% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rio Grande

$455 36.9% 266% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rio Grande

$100 8.1% 18.4% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rio Grande

$261 21.2% 115% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rio Grande

$27 2.2% 67.4% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rio Grande

$9.9 * 0.8% 86% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $82 in Rio Grande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $381 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Rio Grande

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,467

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Rio Grande 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rio Grande

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 Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Grande is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,850 in Rio Grande 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 $476 in Phuket versus $806 in Rio Grande. 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 $82 in Rio Grande. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rio Grande 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.