Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tarragona

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,774 in Tarragona, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Tarragona
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Tarragona Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tarragona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tarragona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,774 in Tarragona.

Phuket $1,278
Tarragona $1,774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,602 in Tarragona.

Phuket $2,216
Tarragona $2,602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,429 in Tarragona.

Phuket $3,154
Tarragona $3,429

Living in Phuket costs roughly 28% less than in Tarragona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Tarragona is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.82 €15.97

-74.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$60.0 €53.8

-45.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.19 €8.23

-4.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.42 €2.17

16.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.50 €2.24

-65.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.97 €1.77

-75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.25 €2.91

-21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.93 €3.52

-6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.26 €1.13

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.97 €1.76

-25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.47 €1.32

2.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.40 €3.04

-38.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.30 €11.92

43.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.50 €9.41

-68.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.50 €13.00

-24.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.84 €2.54

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.45 €2.20

-31.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.80 €2.51

-19.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.58 €2.31

-19.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 €1.38

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.89 €1.70

-26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.50 €1.34

-28.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.68 €0.61

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.63 €5.94

-36.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.00 €4.48

275.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.97 €1.77

-7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.83 €1.64

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.70 €1.52

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$27.24 €24.41

108.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.98 €3.57

-24.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.52 €1.36

-32.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$21.90 €19.63

-83.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.81 €1.62

-18.78%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$35.8K €32.0K

-25.13%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$29.4K €26.4K

-9.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$128 €114

-24.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.01 €20.62

-51.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.52 €30.93

-51.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$60.4 €54.2

11.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$23.62 €21.16

-54.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.95 €8.02

-16.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$320 €287

48.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$103 €91.9

-39.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.90 €29.48

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$80.9 €72.5

16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$89.0 €79.7

-3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$911 €817

-21.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$799 €716

-38.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,222 €1,095

57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,168 €1,047

22.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,704 €2,423

54.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,289 €1,155

136.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,024 €1,814

-75.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.02

84.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tarragona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tarragona

$799 45.1% 62.9% $309

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tarragona

$287 16.2% 7.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tarragona

$185 10.4% 48.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarragona

$137 7.7% 12.7% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarragona

$241 13.6% 98.2% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tarragona

$78 4.4% 4.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tarragona

$46 2.6% 35.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $911 in Tarragona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tarragona pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $60 in Tarragona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $287 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Tarragona

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

138,262

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tarragona 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tarragona

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 Tarragona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $911 in Tarragona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $320 in Tarragona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Tarragona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,774 in Tarragona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tarragona. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Tarragona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.