Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tacarigua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacarigua: $765 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Tacarigua
Learn more

Tacarigua Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tacarigua

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tacarigua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $765 in Tacarigua.

Phuket $1,278
Tacarigua $765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,312 in Tacarigua.

Phuket $2,216
Tacarigua $1,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,858 in Tacarigua.

Phuket $3,154
Tacarigua $1,858

Living in Phuket is roughly 67% more expensive than in Tacarigua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tacarigua 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.18 TTD 68.3

-56.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$59.2 TTD 397

-45.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.93 TTD 53.2

11.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.76 TTD 25.23

-24.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.99 TTD 6.66

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.72 TTD 4.85

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.89 TTD 12.68

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.55 TTD 17.12

44.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.97 TTD 13.25

-15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.28 TTD 15.27

-35.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.79 TTD 18.75

-46.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.85 TTD 25.84

-45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.61 TTD 44.35

188.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.11 TTD 67.8

-67.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.99 TTD 60.3

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.39 TTD 36.20

-45.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.47 TTD 16.58

-31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.61 TTD 24.19

-37.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.22 TTD 28.30

-50.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.71 TTD 4.79

112.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.76 TTD 5.11

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.49 TTD 10.02

-28.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.15 TTD 7.69

-54.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.50 TTD 36.91

-23.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.42 TTD 117

7.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.51 TTD 10.11

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.97 TTD 19.95

-4.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.86 TTD 5.78

251.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.93 TTD 6.25

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$14.51 TTD 97.4

-74.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.16 TTD 7.76

26.72%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$36.3K TTD 243.6K

-26.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$41.0K TTD 274.9K

-34.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$44.88 TTD 301

114.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$41.74 TTD 280

-73.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$44.94 TTD 302

-62.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.09 TTD 61.0

-17.49%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$406 TTD 2,725

17.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$11.0K TTD 73.9K

2.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.4 TTD 372

12.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.45 TTD 251

-24.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$89.9 TTD 603

4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$89.9 TTD 603

-4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tacarigua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tacarigua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tacarigua

$315 41.2% 18.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tacarigua

$132 17.2% 5.7% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tacarigua

$123 16% 0.6% $0.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tacarigua

$172 22.5% 41.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tacarigua

$18 * 2.4% 77.9% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tacarigua

$5.5 * 0.7% 92.2% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $59 in Tacarigua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $315 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 Tacarigua

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

19:59 7:59 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,067

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tacarigua 16,970 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tacarigua

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 Tacarigua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacarigua is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,148 in Tacarigua 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 $406 in Tacarigua. 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 $59 in Tacarigua. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $765 in Tacarigua versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tacarigua but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tacarigua 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.