Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tarifa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,620 in Tarifa, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Tarifa
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Tarifa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tarifa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tarifa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,620 in Tarifa.

Phuket $1,278
Tarifa $1,620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,373 in Tarifa.

Phuket $2,216
Tarifa $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,127 in Tarifa.

Phuket $3,154
Tarifa $3,127

Living in Phuket costs roughly 21% less than in Tarifa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Tarifa is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.11 €13.58

-70.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$57.2 €51.4

-43.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.60 €9.52

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.18 €1.96

29.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.31 €2.07

-62.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.71 €1.54

-71.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.36 €3.02

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.52 €3.16

4.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.19 €1.07

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.41 €1.26

3.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.63 €1.46

-7.98%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.89 €2.60

-27.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.52 €12.14

41.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.27 €7.43

-60.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.95 €13.43

-27.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.43 €2.18

20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.02 €1.82

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.99 €1.79

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.58 €2.32

-19.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.70 €1.53

-11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.06 €1.85

-33.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.36 €1.22

-21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.71 €0.64

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.46 €5.80

-34.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.92 €5.31

217.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.20 €1.08

51.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.07 €1.86

37.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.71 €1.53

-15.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$34.06 €30.60

66.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.07 €3.65

-25.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.26 €1.13

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$25.05 €22.51

-85.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.81 €1.63

-18.78%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$38.6K €34.7K

-30.67%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$30.2K €27.2K

-11.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$135 €121

-28.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.46 €18.38

-44.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.77 €27.64

-45.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.06 €42.28

42.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.19 €13.64

-29.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.22 €8.28

-18.66%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$402 €361

18.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,997 €7,183

40.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$84.9 €76.3

-26.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$35.78 €32.14

-20.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$89.7 €80.6

5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$108 €97.0

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$851 €764

-15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$693 €623

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,310 €1,176

47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,001 €899

42.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,342 €3,002

24.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,368 €2,127

28.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tarifa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tarifa

$693 42.8% 41.3% $203

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tarifa

$261 16.1% 1.9% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tarifa

$186 11.5% 49.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarifa

$143 8.9% 17.6% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarifa

$219 13.5% 79.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tarifa

$66 4% 20.3% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tarifa

$51 3.2% 27.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $851 in Tarifa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Tarifa. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $261, with Tarifa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Tarifa

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

18,657

💱 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 Tarifa 10,730 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tarifa

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 Tarifa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,430 in Tarifa 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 $851 in Tarifa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $402 in Tarifa. 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 $57 in Tarifa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,620 in Tarifa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tarifa. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

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