Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vega Baja

For one person, living is cheaper in Vega Baja: $1,191 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Vega Baja
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Vega Baja Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Vega Baja

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vega Baja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,191 in Vega Baja.

Phuket $1,294
Vega Baja $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,860 in Vega Baja.

Phuket $2,204
Vega Baja $1,860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,530 in Vega Baja.

Phuket $3,115
Vega Baja $2,530

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Vega Baja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Vega Baja 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$19.26 $19.26

-77.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$49.43 $49.43

-34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$9.27 $9.27

-6.15%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.43 $3.43

-20.70%

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

$1.52 $1.52

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.99 $2.99

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.54 $2.54

42.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.60 $1.60

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.72 $3.72

-61.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.32 $2.32

-35.34%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$7.10 $7.10

-69.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$12.62 $12.62

51.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.55 $9.55

-64.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$13.17 $13.17

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$5.11 $5.11

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.57 $2.57

-34.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.95 $4.95

-55.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.73 $4.73

-55.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$3.80 $3.80

-61.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$4.04 $4.04

-66.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$3.53 $3.53

-69.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.61 $1.61

-65.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$12.14 $12.14

-63.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$15.43 $15.43

18.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$3.01 $3.01

-41.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.89 $3.89

-25.96%

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

$2.43 $2.43

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.48 $1.48

-47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$42.73 $42.73

-91.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$0.76 $0.76

96.05%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.23%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

-6.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$226 $226

-56.72%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$68.0 $68.0

-83.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$49.28 $49.28

-65.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.68 $10.68

-30.43%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$837 $837

-36.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$12.0K $12.0K

56.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$55.8 $55.8

10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$60.4 $60.4

-53.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$111 $111

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$112 $112

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Vega Baja: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Vega Baja

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Vega Baja

$407 34.2% 52.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Vega Baja

$343 28.8% 172% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Vega Baja

$152 12.8% 24.1% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Vega Baja

$257 21.6% 115% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Vega Baja

$21 * 1.8% 74.3% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Vega Baja

$9.8 * 0.8% 85.1% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Vega Baja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $407 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 Vega Baja

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,415

💱 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 Vega Baja 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vega Baja

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 Vega Baja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vega Baja is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,786 in Vega Baja 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $837 in Vega Baja. 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 $49 in Vega Baja. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Vega Baja gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.