Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ponta Delgada and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ponta Delgada and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ponta Delgada and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ponta Delgada $1,660
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ponta Delgada $2,363
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,067 in Ponta Delgada versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ponta Delgada $3,067
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ponta Delgada is roughly 30% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ponta Delgada is 22% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.61 €12.23

$4.47 ฿151

204.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 €40.28

$32.41 ฿1,094

38.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.64

$8.81 ฿297

21.68%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.65

$2.83 ฿95.5

-34.98%

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

$1.83 €1.65

$0.87 ฿29.43

110.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$0.49 ฿16.67

275.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.83

$2.56 ฿86.4

23.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.24

$3.68 ฿124

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 €0.84

$1.66 ฿56.0

-43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.46 ฿49.35

8.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.50 ฿50.6

19.33%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.77

$2.09 ฿70.5

47.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €15.08

$19.07 ฿644

-12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €10.20

$3.30 ฿111

243.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.34

$10.91 ฿368

56.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.93 ฿99.0

-20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.69 ฿57.1

-1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.25 ฿75.8

-3.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.08 ฿70.1

49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.51 ฿51.0

1.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.38 ฿46.56

17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.07 ฿35.99

161.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.52 ฿17.52

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.60

$4.20 ฿142

21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €5.20

$18.79 ฿634

-69.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.82 ฿61.5

29.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.84 ฿95.9

10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.45 ฿49.03

14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 €50.4

$56.7 ฿1,913

-1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.95

$3.02 ฿102

82.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.02 ฿34.36

39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.15

$3.69 ฿125

55.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.47 ฿49.81

34.69%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

25.81%

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

$39.1K €35.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

46.63%

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

$143 €128

$96.4 ฿3,254

48.34%

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

$18.68 €16.79

$11.26 ฿380

65.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 €38.92

$16.85 ฿569

157.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.39 €30.00

$67.2 ฿2,270

-50.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 €17.52

$10.73 ฿362

81.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.30

$7.50 ฿253

23.20%

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

$285 €256

$476 ฿16.1K

-40.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,594 €5,925

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-41.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.31 €42.51

$62.4 ฿2,106

-24.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.91 €30.47

$28.41 ฿959

19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 €59.3

$94.3 ฿3,184

-30.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$85.8 ฿2,898

58.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,035

$716 ฿24.2K

60.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €619

$491 ฿16.6K

40.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,259

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-27.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €837

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-34.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,624

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-3.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,977 €2,675

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-2.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,387 €1,246

$502 ฿17.0K

176.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

5.57

-33.39%

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

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 28.7% $198

Groceries & Markets

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.3% $80

Eating Out

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.4% $5.6

Getting Around

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 6.3% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 58.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,152 in Ponta Delgada and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ponta Delgada pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ponta Delgada vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

17:07 5:07 PM

8 h ahead of Ponta Delgada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,233

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ponta Delgada Phuket 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ponta Delgada
Phuket

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

Ponta Delgada vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ponta Delgada is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,152 in Ponta Delgada versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $285 in Ponta Delgada versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $45 in Ponta Delgada. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ponta Delgada. 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.

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