Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,004 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taipa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,004 in Taipa.

Phuket $1,278
Taipa $2,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,157 in Taipa.

Phuket $2,216
Taipa $3,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,310 in Taipa.

Phuket $3,154
Taipa $4,310

Living in Phuket costs roughly 36% less than in Taipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Taipa is 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.14 MOP 49.60

-27.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$54.6 MOP 441

-40.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.80 MOP 46.86

51.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.11 MOP 41.28

-44.62%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.76 MOP 6.15

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.36 MOP 2.89

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.80 MOP 46.90

-55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.51 MOP 60.7

-51.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.18 MOP 25.72

-47.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.71 MOP 13.80

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.64 MOP 13.27

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.38 MOP 27.31

-38.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.94 MOP 129

19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$19.26 MOP 156

-82.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$28.49 MOP 230

-61.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.57 MOP 20.80

14.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.94 MOP 23.73

-42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.86 MOP 15.04

20.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.33 MOP 18.85

-10.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.86 MOP 31.19

-60.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.94 MOP 23.75

-53.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.63 MOP 5.06

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.20 MOP 9.69

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.85 MOP 55.4

-38.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.21 MOP 98.6

53.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.71 MOP 13.83

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.24 MOP 18.10

26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.61 MOP 21.09

15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.28 MOP 10.33

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$14.93 MOP 121

-75.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.80 MOP 14.52

-18.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$31.5K MOP 254.4K

-14.96%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.5K MOP 254.8K

-15.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$120 MOP 969

-19.69%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.95 MOP 194

-52.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$37.07 MOP 300

-54.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$73.9 MOP 597

-9.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.69 MOP 29.81

190.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.14 MOP 98.1

-38.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,212 MOP 9,795

-60.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$19.3K MOP 155.6K

-41.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$68.7 MOP 555

-9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.69 MOP 272

-15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$91.9 MOP 743

2.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$134 MOP 1,085

-36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,056 MOP 8,533

-32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$972 MOP 7,850

-49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,138 MOP 17.3K

-9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,939 MOP 15.7K

-26.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$15.7K MOP 127.0K

-73.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$13.4K MOP 108.0K

-77.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taipa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Taipa

$972 48.5% 97.9% $481

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Taipa

$420 21% 57.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Taipa

$181 9% 45.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taipa

$148 7.4% 21.3% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taipa

$176 8.8% 44.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Taipa

$98 4.9% 19.4% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Taipa

$9 * 0.5% 87.2% $62

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,056 in Taipa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Taipa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $420 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇴 Taipa

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

78,497

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 MOP (1 MOP = 0.111 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Taipa 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taipa

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 Taipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,006 in Taipa 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 $1,056 in Taipa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,212 in Taipa. 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 $55 in Taipa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,004 in Taipa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taipa. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Taipa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.