Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $850 in Sal.

Phuket $1,207
Sal $850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,313 in Sal.

Phuket $2,037
Sal $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,777 in Sal.

Phuket $2,867
Sal $1,777

Living in Phuket is roughly 42% more expensive than in Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sal 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$5.51 CVE 540

-16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$44.18 CVE 4,332

-26.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.03 CVE 1,081

-22.48%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.32 CVE 227

17.24%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.54 CVE 249

-62.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.09 CVE 107

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.61 CVE 452

-43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.07 CVE 301

24.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.58 CVE 155

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.27 CVE 223

-37.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.20 CVE 118

27.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.79 CVE 273

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.03 CVE 886

112.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.51 CVE 736

-56.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$15.99 CVE 1,568

-30.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.16 CVE 310

-6.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.49 CVE 245

-32.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.33 CVE 326

-30.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.98 CVE 391

-46.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.64 CVE 161

-6.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.85 CVE 182

-26.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.55 CVE 152

-27.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.10 CVE 108

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.57 CVE 448

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.40 CVE 628

184.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$4.03 CVE 395

-56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.88 CVE 184

48.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.99 CVE 96.6

124.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.08 CVE 204

39.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$3.08 CVE 302

-67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$12.65 CVE 1,240

-69.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.38 CVE 135

7.97%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$60.8 CVE 5,964

63.38%

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

$11.28 ฿377

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$49.23 CVE 4,827

-64.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$27.47 CVE 2,694

90.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$115 CVE 11.2K

386.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$30.09 CVE 2,950

108.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$144 CVE 14.1K

-38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$252 CVE 24.7K

189.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$168 CVE 16.5K

174.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$307 CVE 30.1K

582.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$206 CVE 20.2K

492.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$654 CVE 64.1K

428.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$331 CVE 32.5K

651.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$257 CVE 25.2K

91.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Sal

$168 19.8% 63.5% $292

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Sal

$296 34.8% 10.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Sal

$110 * 13% 14% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sal

$78 * 9.2% 37% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Sal

$149 17.5% 22.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Sal

$27 * 3.2% 59.3% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Sal

$21 * 2.5% 44.9% $17

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 $729 in Phuket and $252 in Sal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 92% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $44.00 in Sal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $296 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

04:27 4:27 AM

8 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,288

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sal 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sal is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $252 in Sal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $115 in Sal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sal – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $850 in Sal versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sal is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Sal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.