Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Portmore versus $1,264 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,849 in Portmore versus $2,256 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Portmore versus $3,248 in Phuket.

Living in Portmore costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Portmore 17% lower, Phuket 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 JMD 755

$4.48 ฿150

7.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 JMD 9,817

$45.59 ฿1,525

36.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 JMD 1,366

$8.76 ฿293

-0.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 JMD 693

$2.97 ฿99.3

48.48%

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

$0.63 JMD 98.8

$0.69 ฿22.96

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 JMD 79.0

$0.39 ฿13.07

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 JMD 290

$2.53 ฿84.7

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 JMD 355

$3.75 ฿125

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.15 ฿71.8

44.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 JMD 558

$1.82 ฿60.7

95.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 160

$2.18 ฿73.1

-53.21%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 564

$2.25 ฿75.2

59.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 JMD 1,708

$20.00 ฿669

-45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 973

$3.63 ฿121

70.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 JMD 1,176

$13.56 ฿453

-44.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 JMD 929

$3.24 ฿109

82.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 471

$1.64 ฿54.7

82.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 JMD 453

$2.33 ฿78.0

23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 JMD 478

$2.07 ฿69.3

46.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 JMD 330

$1.55 ฿51.8

35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 JMD 303

$1.46 ฿48.67

31.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 JMD 240

$0.98 ฿32.94

55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 JMD 200

$0.48 ฿16.13

164.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.66 JMD 1,362

$4.35 ฿146

99.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 JMD 1,755

$18.57 ฿621

-39.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 441

$1.86 ฿62.1

50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 JMD 335

$2.65 ฿88.8

-19.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 JMD 250

$1.42 ฿47.40

11.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 JMD 9,974

$11.57 ฿387

448.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 146

$3.17 ฿106

-70.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 507

$1.03 ฿34.51

212.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 JMD 1,011

$13.89 ฿465

-53.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 JMD 171

$1.34 ฿44.96

-18.66%

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

$42.4K JMD 6.7M

$27.8K ฿929.6K

52.43%

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

$33.6K JMD 5.3M

$33.4K ฿1.1M

0.62%

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

$156 JMD 24.6K

$123 ฿4,116

27.14%

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

$21.70 JMD 3,414

$13.77 ฿461

57.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 JMD 8,087

$18.33 ฿613

180.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,030

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿574

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 JMD 2,082

$8.87 ฿297

49.27%

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

$227 JMD 35.6K

$688 ฿23.0K

-67.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,450 JMD 385.4K

$15.8K ฿527.8K

-84.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.67 JMD 4,037

$59.3 ฿1,984

-56.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.00 JMD 4,090

$34.69 ฿1,160

-25.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 JMD 11.2K

$115 ฿3,853

-38.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$83.8 ฿2,802

-7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 JMD 48.8K

$621 ฿20.8K

-50.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 JMD 35.0K

$446 ฿14.9K

-50.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 JMD 104.0K

$2,034 ฿68.0K

-67.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 JMD 91.7K

$1,496 ฿50.0K

-61.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,530 JMD 1.2M

$3,455 ฿115.6K

117.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,860 JMD 921.8K

$2,531 ฿84.7K

131.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,312 JMD 206.4K

$494 ฿16.5K

165.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.15

5.33

71.67%

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

Last update for Portmore: July 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $310 in Portmore and $621 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portmore pays 166% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Portmore vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $291 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Portmore vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 166% higher in Portmore, 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: $310 in Portmore versus $621 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $227 in Portmore versus $688 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,102 in Portmore versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portmore but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Portmore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Portmore 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, Portmore 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 Portmore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.