Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Trujillo Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo Alto
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Trujillo Alto Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Trujillo Alto

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Trujillo Alto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,754 in Trujillo Alto.

Phuket $1,294
Trujillo Alto $1,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,637 in Trujillo Alto.

Phuket $2,204
Trujillo Alto $2,637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,520 in Trujillo Alto.

Phuket $3,115
Trujillo Alto $3,520

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Trujillo Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Trujillo Alto is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$12.83 $12.83

-65.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$78.6 $78.6

-58.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$9.43 $9.43

-7.74%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.91 $2.91

-6.53%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.92 $1.92

-51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.98 $0.98

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$3.03 $3.03

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.89 $3.89

-6.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.16 $2.16

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.36 $3.36

-56.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.42 $2.42

-38.02%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$4.90 $4.90

-55.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.64 $8.64

120.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.37 $9.37

-63.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.81 $7.81

39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$4.29 $4.29

-31.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.57 $2.57

-34.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.74 $4.74

-53.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.82 $3.82

-44.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$3.74 $3.74

-60.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$4.05 $4.05

-66.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$3.48 $3.48

-68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.54 $1.54

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.11 $10.11

-56.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$14.96 $14.96

21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$3.11 $3.11

-43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$4.09 $4.09

-29.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$2.44 $2.44

-38.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.47 $1.47

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$42.15 $42.15

-90.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.04 $1.04

43.27%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$34.4K $34.4K

-21.86%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$28.2K $28.2K

-6.69%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$327 $327

-70.12%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$58.4 $58.4

-80.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$69.2 $69.2

-75.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$29.43 $29.43

132.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$10.16 $10.16

7.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.69 $10.69

-30.50%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$344 $344

54.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$5,458 $5,458

244.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$39.36 $39.36

56.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$54.0 $54.0

-47.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$90.0 $90.0

6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$113 $113

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$698 $698

3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$544 $544

-6.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$1,160 $1,160

68.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$960 $960

45.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,903 $1,903

120.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,614 $1,614

104.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$3,311 $3,311

-85.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Trujillo Alto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Trujillo Alto

$544 31% 6.9% $35

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Trujillo Alto

$361 20.6% 35.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Trujillo Alto

$455 25.9% 260% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Trujillo Alto

$133 7.6% 8.6% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Trujillo Alto

$200 11.4% 67.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Trujillo Alto

$51 2.9% 38.9% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Trujillo Alto

$9.8 * 0.6% 85.2% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $698 in Trujillo Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trujillo Alto pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in Trujillo Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $361 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,712

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Trujillo Alto 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Trujillo Alto

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 Trujillo Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $698 in Trujillo Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $344 in Trujillo Alto. 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 $79 in Trujillo Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Trujillo Alto. 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 Trujillo Alto are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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