Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rota

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,657 in Rota, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,657 in Rota.

Phuket $1,278
Rota $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,448 in Rota.

Phuket $2,216
Rota $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,240 in Rota.

Phuket $3,154
Rota $3,240

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Rota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Rota is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.95 €15.18

-73.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$62.8 €56.2

-48.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.31 €11.02

-28.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.20 €1.97

28.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.71 €2.43

-67.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.91 €1.71

-74.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.45 €3.09

-25.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.61 €4.13

-20.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.18 €1.06

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.45 €1.30

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.77 €1.58

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.33 €2.98

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.49 €13.87

23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.99 €7.16

-58.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.24 €13.65

-28.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.56 €2.30

14.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.97 €1.76

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.76 €1.57

27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.56 €2.30

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.63 €1.46

-7.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.07 €1.85

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.26 €1.12

-15.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.71 €0.63

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.44 €5.77

-34.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.57 €5.89

186.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.19 €1.06

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.33 €2.09

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.67 €1.50

-13.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$32.10 €28.75

76.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.92 €1.72

57.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.23 €1.10

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.49 €20.14

-83.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.79 €1.60

-17.88%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$33.6K €30.1K

-20.27%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.3K €28.0K

-14.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$165 €147

-41.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.89 €9.75

3.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.02 €22.41

-32.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.69 €40.03

50.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.51 €13.89

-30.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.48 €8.49

-20.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$856 €766

-44.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,996 €8,952

12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$89.4 €80.1

-30.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$38.64 €34.60

-26.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$84.7 €75.9

11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$106 €95.0

-19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$882 €790

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$688 €617

-28.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,356 €1,215

42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,023 €916

39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,235 €2,897

29.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,227 €1,994

36.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.29

69.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rota

$688 41.6% 40.2% $197

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rota

$270 16.3% 1.3% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rota

$201 12.1% 61.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rota

$143 8.7% 17.7% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rota

$244 14.7% 101% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rota

$64 3.8% 22.6% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rota

$47 2.8% 33.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $882 in Rota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $63 in Rota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $270 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Rota

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

29,675

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Rota 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rota

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 Rota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,485 in Rota 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 $882 in Rota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $856 in Rota. 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 $63 in Rota. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,657 in Rota, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rota. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.