Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tobago

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Tobago: $1,207 and $1,214 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tobago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,214 in Tobago.

Phuket $1,207
Tobago $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,829 in Tobago.

Phuket $2,037
Tobago $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,444 in Tobago.

Phuket $2,867
Tobago $2,444

Living in Phuket costs roughly 1% less than in Tobago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tobago 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.11 TTD 68.0

-54.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$42.09 TTD 283

-22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.67 TTD 65.1

-11.58%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.86 TTD 25.94

-29.53%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.63 TTD 10.97

-42.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.64 TTD 11.04

-70.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.65 TTD 24.56

-29.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.48 TTD 30.12

-14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.52 TTD 16.94

-30.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.42 TTD 16.26

-40.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.39 TTD 16.09

-35.98%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.94 TTD 33.23

-56.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.39 TTD 42.96

199.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.20 TTD 48.41

-54.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.00 TTD 40.39

85.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$4.12 TTD 27.72

-28.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.41 TTD 16.21

-30.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.24 TTD 15.07

2.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.24 TTD 15.06

-4.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.00 TTD 6.70

53.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.59 TTD 10.67

-14.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.88 TTD 12.63

-40.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.45 TTD 9.77

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.51 TTD 30.31

-5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$22.33 TTD 150

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.72 TTD 25.04

-53.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$4.50 TTD 30.28

-38.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.77 TTD 5.18

188.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.72 TTD 4.83

304.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.87 TTD 59.7

-56.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.03 TTD 6.93

44.66%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$59.5 TTD 400

67.15%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$26.84 TTD 181

-57.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$73.2 TTD 492

-76.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.2 TTD 344

2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.86 TTD 52.9

-3.69%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$72.4 TTD 487

670.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$44.66 TTD 300

40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$47.85 TTD 322

-40.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$141 TTD 949

-31.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$90.0 TTD 606

-2.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$406 TTD 2,732

79.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$332 TTD 2,232

38.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$548 TTD 3,683

282.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$508 TTD 3,416

140.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$730 TTD 4,912

-32.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tobago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Tobago

$332 27.3% 27.9% $128

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Tobago

$310 25.6% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Tobago

$159 13.1% 24.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tobago

$146 12% 17.4% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Tobago

$196 16.2% 61.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Tobago

$67 5.5% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Tobago

$3.8 * 0.3% 90.2% $35

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 $729 in Phuket and $406 in Tobago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tobago pays 48% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Tobago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $310 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 Tobago

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

16:30 4:30 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

54,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tobago 16,870 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tobago

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 Tobago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Tobago. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $406 in Tobago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $72.4 in Tobago. 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 $32.00 versus $42.00 in Tobago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,214 in Tobago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tobago. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tobago, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tobago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Tobago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.