Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portimao and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,530 in Portimao, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
Learn more

Portimao Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,530

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portimao 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 Portimao and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Portimao versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Portimao $1,530
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,351 in Portimao versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Portimao $2,351
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,172 in Portimao versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Portimao $3,172
Phuket $2,867

Living in Portimao is roughly 27% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portimao is 13% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 €11.85

$4.58 ฿153

190.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 €59.9

$32.48 ฿1,086

107.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 €9.32

$8.55 ฿286

22.46%

Cappuccino

$1.77 €1.57

$2.72 ฿91.0

-34.93%

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

$2.12 €1.88

$0.94 ฿31.25

125.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.49 ฿16.39

224.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.59 ฿86.6

-3.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 €3.79

$3.83 ฿128

11.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.74 ฿58.1

-35.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.43 ฿47.82

14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.53 ฿51.0

9.15%

Eggs

$3.11 €2.77

$2.17 ฿72.7

43.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 €10.27

$19.15 ฿640

-39.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 €6.52

$3.30 ฿110

122.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 €9.54

$11.14 ฿372

-3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.95 ฿98.5

-24.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.68 ฿56.1

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.30 ฿76.8

-40.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.13 ฿71.3

8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.53 ฿51.1

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.36 ฿45.55

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.12 ฿37.44

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.55 ฿18.24

41.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$4.26 ฿142

42.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$18.19 ฿608

-70.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.74 ฿58.2

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.79 ฿93.3

-12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.22 ฿74.1

-12.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.98 €24.00

$22.06 ฿737

22.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.91 ฿97.3

17.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.01 ฿33.79

3.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.72

$3.83 ฿128

332.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.49 ฿49.85

42.95%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

24.42%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

41.96%

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

$110 €98.3

$99.4 ฿3,321

11.15%

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

$37.45 €33.31

$11.28 ฿377

232.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.48 €43.13

$17.36 ฿580

179.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.37 €42.14

$52.3 ฿1,747

-9.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.94

$10.85 ฿362

96.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 €6.92

$7.57 ฿253

2.91%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,503 €4,005

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-60.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 €46.56

$62.9 ฿2,102

-16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 €20.38

$28.58 ฿955

-19.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 €40.64

$96.1 ฿3,213

-52.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 €60.0

$88.1 ฿2,943

-23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$729 ฿24.4K

32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$460 ฿15.4K

55.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 €1,514

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-18.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,093

$1,222 ฿40.8K

0.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,245 €3,776

$3,459 ฿115.6K

22.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 €2,884

$2,489 ฿83.2K

30.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 €876

$493 ฿16.5K

99.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

5.57

-17.77%

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

Last update for Portimao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portimao

$713 46.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 35.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Portimao

$235 15.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 13.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portimao

$196 12.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 34.8% $68

Eating Out

Portimao

$195 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 37.8% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Portimao

$85 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 46.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Portimao

$63 4.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 7.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Portimao

$43 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 10.5% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $969 in Portimao and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portimao pays 100% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Portimao vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $268, with Portimao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portimao

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

6 h ahead of Portimao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,867

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portimao Phuket 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Portimao
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

Portimao vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Portimao, 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: $969 in Portimao versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $67.0 in Portimao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 22% less than in Portimao. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,530 in Portimao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Portimao. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Portimao and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Portimao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.