Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $750 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vacoas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $750 in Vacoas.

Phuket $1,278
Vacoas $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,104 in Vacoas.

Phuket $2,216
Vacoas $1,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,458 in Vacoas.

Phuket $3,154
Vacoas $1,458

Living in Phuket is roughly 70% more expensive than in Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vacoas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.95 MUR 280

-24.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$32.47 MUR 1,530

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.31 MUR 297

39.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.58 MUR 122

9.69%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.15 MUR 54.0

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.62 MUR 29.22

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.66 MUR 125

-3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.91 MUR 184

-5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.40 MUR 65.8

18.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.73 MUR 34.38

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.16 MUR 54.6

29.31%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 MUR 106

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$2.71 MUR 128

603.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.62 MUR 124

25.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.51 MUR 542

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.59 MUR 122

13.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.22 MUR 104

-23.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.43 MUR 67.4

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.90 MUR 136

-28.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 MUR 47.88

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.01 MUR 47.59

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.75 MUR 35.16

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.72 MUR 33.96

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.30 MUR 297

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.42 MUR 303

192.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.45 MUR 68.3

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.37 MUR 112

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.30 MUR 61.4

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.24 MUR 200

-28.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.25 MUR 153

-68.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.16 MUR 196

-11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.41 MUR 66.5

4.26%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$29.6K MUR 1.4M

-9.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

-15.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$44.84 MUR 2,113

114.88%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.49 MUR 495

7.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.48 MUR 1,154

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$25.26 MUR 1,191

166.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.33 MUR 251

40.71%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$126 MUR 5,934

278.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,579 MUR 357.2K

48.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$31.56 MUR 1,487

97.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$38.24 MUR 1,802

-25.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$64.3 MUR 3,030

46.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$47.72 MUR 2,249

79.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$262 MUR 12.4K

173.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$223 MUR 10.5K

120.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$472 MUR 22.3K

308.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$231 MUR 10.9K

520.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$688 MUR 32.4K

-26.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vacoas

$223 29.7% 54.6% $268

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vacoas

$179 23.8% 32.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vacoas

$80 10.6% 35.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vacoas

$82 10.9% 32.9% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vacoas

$126 16.7% 3.2% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 56.3% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vacoas

$26 * 3.4% 63.6% $45

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 $262 in Vacoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vacoas pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Vacoas. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $179, with Vacoas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,289

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Vacoas 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vacoas is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $262 in Vacoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $126 in Vacoas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Vacoas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.