Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vila Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Real: $1,223 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
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Vila Real Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vila Real

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,223 in Vila Real.

Phuket $1,278
Vila Real $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,790 in Vila Real.

Phuket $2,216
Vila Real $1,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,356 in Vila Real.

Phuket $3,154
Vila Real $2,356

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Vila Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vila Real 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.12 €8.17

-50.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$27.82 €24.92

16.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.61 €6.81

15.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.10 €0.99

157.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.70 €1.52

-48.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.13 €1.02

-56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.40 €3.05

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 €1.38

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.91 €0.82

82.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.39 €1.25

5.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.20 €1.08

25.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.63 €2.36

-20.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.67 €8.66

97.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.80 €6.98

-57.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.84 €13.29

-26.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.68 €1.51

74.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.33 €1.19

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.57 €1.41

43.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.61 €2.34

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.42 €1.27

6.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.72 €1.54

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.17 €1.05

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.43 €0.38

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.29 €5.64

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.37 €3.91

329.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.10 €0.99

65.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.63 €1.46

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.26 €1.12

15.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$24.62 €22.05

130.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.19 €3.75

-27.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.70 €1.52

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.81 €15.05

-78.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.08 €1.87

-29.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$31.6K €28.3K

-15.38%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$37.4K €33.5K

-28.60%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$109 €97.3

-11.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.62 €14.89

-32.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$45.77 €41.00

-63.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$32.35 €28.97

107.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.22 €9.15

4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.91 €7.98

-15.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$328 €294

45.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,782 €8,760

15.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$64.9 €58.1

-3.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.30 €28.04

-9.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$84.7 €75.8

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$77.4 €69.3

10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$785 €703

-8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$481 €431

1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,010 €905

90.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$765 €685

86.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,711 €1,533

143.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,313 €1,176

131.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,075 €963

-53.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.55

56.90%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vila Real: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vila Real

$481 39.4% 1.9% $9.5

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vila Real

$222 18.1% 16.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vila Real

$171 14% 37.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vila Real

$116 9.5% 4.7% $5.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vila Real

$140 11.5% 15.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vila Real

$50 4.1% 39% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vila Real

$42 3.5% 40% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $785 in Vila Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vila Real pays about 2.1 times 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 $28 in Vila Real for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $222 per month, with Vila Real cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

49,574

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 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 Vila Real 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vila Real

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 Vila Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vila Real is about 4% 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 53% 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 $785 in Vila Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $328 in Vila Real. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vila Real is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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