Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vilamoura

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,642 in Vilamoura, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Vilamoura
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Vilamoura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vilamoura

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vilamoura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,642 in Vilamoura.

Phuket $1,278
Vilamoura $1,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,398 in Vilamoura.

Phuket $2,216
Vilamoura $2,398

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

Phuket $3,154
Vilamoura $3,154

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Vilamoura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Vilamoura is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.32 €11.97

-66.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$55.9 €50.3

-42.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.08 €9.96

-20.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.82 €1.64

55.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.32 €2.08

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.64 €1.47

-70.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.85 €2.56

-10.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.46 €2.21

49.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.13 €1.01

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.46 €1.31

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.48 €1.33

1.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.45 €3.10

-39.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.08 €11.75

45.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.99 €5.38

-44.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.48 €10.31

-4.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.22 €1.99

31.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.26 €1.13

34.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.52 €1.37

48.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.44 €2.20

-14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.84 €1.65

-17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.99 €1.79

-30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.41 €1.27

-24.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.82 €0.73

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.44 €5.78

-34.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.72 €5.14

228.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.24 €1.12

46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.45 €3.10

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.19 €1.96

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$41.02 €36.85

38.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.65 €3.28

-17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.05 €0.95

-2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.75 €15.05

-77.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.10 €1.89

-30.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.2K €29.9K

-19.46%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.1K €34.2K

-29.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$133 €119

-27.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.71 €16.80

-39.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.04 €30.58

-50.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$33.89 €30.45

98.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.13 €15.39

-37.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.50 €8.53

-21.05%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$461 €414

3.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.2K €10.0K

0.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$71.9 €64.5

-13.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.71 €40.17

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$99.7 €89.6

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$102 €92.0

-16.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$951 €854

-24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$769 €691

-36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,499 €2,245

-22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,157 €1,039

23.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,106 €2,790

34.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,347 €2,108

29.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,057 €950

-52.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.57

56.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vilamoura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vilamoura

$769 46.8% 56.6% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vilamoura

$236 14.4% 11.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vilamoura

$186 11.3% 49.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vilamoura

$143 8.7% 17.7% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vilamoura

$197 12% 61.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vilamoura

$53 3.2% 35.7% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vilamoura

$59 3.6% 16.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $951 in Vilamoura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilamoura pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Vilamoura. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $236, with Vilamoura cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Vilamoura

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

20:32 8:32 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,819

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Vilamoura 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vilamoura

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 Vilamoura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $951 in Vilamoura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $461 in Vilamoura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Vilamoura pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,642 in Vilamoura, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Vilamoura. 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 Vilamoura are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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