Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vilagarcia de Arousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,123 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Vilagarcia de Arousa
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Vilagarcia de Arousa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,123 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Phuket $1,207
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,123

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,665 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Phuket $2,037
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,207 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Phuket $2,867
Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,207

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Vilagarcia de Arousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Vilagarcia de Arousa 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$9.13 €8.12

-49.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$37.96 €33.77

-14.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.77 €7.80

-2.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.75 €1.55

55.43%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.43 €2.16

-61.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.60 €1.42

-69.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.51 €2.24

3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.27 €2.91

17.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.99 €0.88

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.33 €1.18

7.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.80 €1.60

-15.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.06 €2.72

-29.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.63 €5.89

188.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.24 €6.44

-54.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.96 €7.08

39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.55 €2.27

15.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.75 €2.44

-38.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.36 €2.10

-2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.31 €2.06

-7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.07 €1.84

-26.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.43 €2.16

-44.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.52 €1.35

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.72 €0.64

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.11 €4.55

-16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.38 €3.90

315.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.11 €0.99

56.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.97 €1.76

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.67 €1.49

32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$18.67 €16.61

18.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$5.15 €4.58

-43.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.13 €1.01

-10.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$19.10 €16.99

-79.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.71 €1.52

-12.87%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.0K €31.1K

-23.69%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$29.0K €25.8K

-7.74%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$144 €128

-31.03%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$16.18 €14.40

-30.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$30.73 €27.34

-43.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$28.00 €24.91

86.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$15.45 €13.74

-29.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.28 €7.36

-8.57%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$270 €240

106.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,669 €5,932

72.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$72.7 €64.7

-13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.73 €27.34

-7.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$72.9 €64.8

31.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$130 €116

-32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$543 €483

34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$341 €304

34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$784 €697

167.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$501 €446

143.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,461 €1,300

136.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$836 €744

197.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,245 €1,997

-78.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.77

47.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$341 30.4% 25.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$217 19.3% 19% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$191 17% 49.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$138 12.3% 11.2% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$156 13.9% 28.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$45 4% 33.9% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$36 3.2% 6.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $543 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilagarcia de Arousa pays 355% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $217, with Vilagarcia de Arousa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,689

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vilagarcia de Arousa 10,790 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilagarcia de Arousa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 355% lower in Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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 $543 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $270 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,123 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vilagarcia de Arousa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vilagarcia de Arousa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Vilagarcia de Arousa 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.