Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sesimbra

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,603 in Sesimbra, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Sesimbra
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Sesimbra Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Sesimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sesimbra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,603 in Sesimbra.

Phuket $1,207
Sesimbra $1,603

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,327 in Sesimbra.

Phuket $2,037
Sesimbra $2,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,052 in Sesimbra.

Phuket $2,867
Sesimbra $3,052

Living in Phuket costs roughly 25% less than in Sesimbra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Sesimbra is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.12 €10.78

-62.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$44.34 €39.44

-26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.89 €7.91

-3.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.55 €2.27

6.67%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.13 €1.89

-55.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.44 €1.28

-65.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.32 €2.96

-21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.84 €3.41

-0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.06 €0.95

64.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.95 €1.74

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.61 €1.44

-4.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.46 €3.08

-37.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.75 €9.56

78.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.83 €6.07

-51.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.97 €13.32

-25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.70 €2.40

9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.41 €1.25

19.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.84 €1.64

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.24 €1.99

-4.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.59 €1.41

-3.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.14 €1.90

-36.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.54 €1.37

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.78 €0.70

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.91 €5.26

-27.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.56 €4.06

298.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.87 €0.78

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.16 €2.81

-11.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.18 €1.94

1.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$41.52 €36.93

-46.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.21 €1.96

31.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.08 €0.96

-6.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$15.37 €13.67

-75.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.06 €1.84

-27.67%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-20.85%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$37.3K €33.2K

-28.39%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$99.6 €88.6

-0.24%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$20.43 €18.17

-44.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$42.24 €37.57

-58.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$41.08 €36.54

27.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$17.44 €15.52

-37.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.41 €6.59

2.16%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$598 €532

-6.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$11.4K €10.1K

0.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$67.1 €59.7

-6.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$37.76 €33.59

-24.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$70.2 €62.4

37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$94.7 €84.2

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$943 €839

-22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$766 €682

-39.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,544 €1,374

35.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,153 €1,026

5.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,745 €2,441

26.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,929 €1,716

28.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,420 €1,263

-65.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.85

44.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sesimbra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Sesimbra

$766 47.8% 66.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Sesimbra

$247 15.4% 7.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Sesimbra

$162 10.1% 26.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sesimbra

$121 7.6% 2.2% $2.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Sesimbra

$193 12% 59% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Sesimbra

$56 3.5% 17.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Sesimbra

$58 3.6% 48.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $943 in Sesimbra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sesimbra pays 188% 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 Sesimbra. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $247, with Sesimbra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Sesimbra

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

06:01 6:01 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

52,394

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sesimbra 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sesimbra

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 Sesimbra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 188% lower in Sesimbra. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $943 in Sesimbra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $598 in Sesimbra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sesimbra pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,603 in Sesimbra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sesimbra. 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 Sesimbra, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Sesimbra 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Sesimbra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.