Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto Rico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,716 in Puerto Rico.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto Rico $1,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,564 in Puerto Rico.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto Rico $2,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,412 in Puerto Rico.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto Rico $3,412

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Puerto Rico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Puerto Rico is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.45 €18.37

-78.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$61.0 €54.8

-46.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.30 €10.15

-22.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.04 €1.84

38.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.89 €1.70

-53.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.29 €1.16

-62.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.72 €2.44

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.42 €3.07

7.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.38 €1.24

20.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.40 €2.16

-39.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.53 €1.37

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.25 €3.82

-50.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$19.32 €17.35

-1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.01 €8.99

-67.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.41 €15.64

-37.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.67 €2.40

9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.32 €2.09

-27.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.15 €1.93

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.49 €2.24

-16.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.17 €1.95

-30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.02 €1.82

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.62 €1.46

-33.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.97 €0.87

-46.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.63 €4.16

-9.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.87 €7.07

138.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.70 €1.53

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.69 €1.51

68.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.66 €1.49

-12.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$32.24 €28.96

75.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.33 €3.89

-30.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.67 €1.50

-38.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.83 €15.12

-78.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.9K €31.3K

-23.22%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.9K €28.7K

-16.45%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$129 €116

-25.33%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.38 €20.10

-49.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$35.85 €32.21

-53.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$44.45 €39.93

51.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.59 €14.01

-31.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.91 €8.90

-24.32%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$403 €362

18.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,970 €4,465

126.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$91.8 €82.4

-32.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$42.61 €38.27

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$90.6 €81.4

4.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$114 €102

-24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$874 €785

-18.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$679 €610

-27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,331 €1,196

44.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,010 €907

41.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,233 €2,904

29.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,186 €1,964

39.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.56

56.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6% 38.4% $188

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto Rico

$326 19% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9% 50.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9% 25% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9% 110% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8% 21.9% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto Rico

$52 3% 27% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $874 in Puerto Rico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in Puerto Rico for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $326 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

18:05 6:05 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Puerto Rico 11,910 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Rico

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 Puerto Rico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,574 in Puerto Rico 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 $874 in Puerto Rico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $403 in Puerto Rico. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Puerto Rico. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,716 in Puerto Rico, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Puerto Rico. 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.