Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Rafti and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Rafti and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,346 in Porto Rafti versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,107 in Porto Rafti versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,868 in Porto Rafti versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Porto Rafti is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Rafti 2% lower, Phuket 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.45 €9.87

$4.66 ฿154

145.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 €54.8

$32.22 ฿1,065

97.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 €8.24

$8.68 ฿287

10.14%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.63

$2.90 ฿95.8

45.17%

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

$2.43 €2.10

$0.84 ฿27.89

189.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.48

$0.49 ฿16.16

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.03

$2.48 ฿82.0

88.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 €4.41

$3.73 ฿123

37.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.37

$1.89 ฿62.3

-15.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €0.98

$1.41 ฿46.54

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €1.95

$1.62 ฿53.6

39.51%

Eggs

$4.79 €4.13

$2.24 ฿74.1

113.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 €10.08

$19.84 ฿656

-41.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 €8.59

$3.48 ฿115

186.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 €12.25

$11.37 ฿376

24.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.04

$2.90 ฿95.8

-18.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €1.98

$1.72 ฿57.0

33.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.27 ฿75.1

-24.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.72

$2.13 ฿70.4

-6.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.47 ฿48.72

-19.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.42 ฿46.92

-16.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.80

$1.10 ฿36.25

-15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.49

$0.60 ฿19.76

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 €4.64

$4.31 ฿142

24.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 €5.92

$18.60 ฿615

-63.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.52

$1.80 ฿59.5

-1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.02

$2.97 ฿98.0

-21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.22

$2.25 ฿74.2

-36.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.06 €42.29

$23.49 ฿776

108.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €3.98

$3.10 ฿102

49.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.08 ฿35.56

9.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.61 €12.60

$3.87 ฿128

277.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.84

$1.43 ฿47.16

48.95%

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

$28.6K €24.7K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

2.98%

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

$24.5K €21.1K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

-9.15%

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

$159 €137

$105 ฿3,462

51.76%

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

$22.96 €19.79

$11.39 ฿376

101.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.83 €24.86

$17.54 ฿580

64.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €44.06

$54.3 ฿1,795

-5.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.64 €22.97

$11.44 ฿378

132.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.41 €8.12

$7.78 ฿257

20.95%

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

$493 €425

$576 ฿19.0K

-14.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,641 €4,001

$11.6K ฿382.7K

-59.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €61.2

$63.6 ฿2,103

11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.60 €24.65

$29.10 ฿961

-1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 €67.4

$96.2 ฿3,179

-18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €97.6

$90.0 ฿2,974

25.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 €431

$733 ฿24.2K

-31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 €346

$501 ฿16.5K

-19.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 €666

$2,126 ฿70.2K

-63.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €565

$1,252 ฿41.4K

-47.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,015 €4,323

$3,534 ฿116.8K

41.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,406 €2,074

$2,622 ฿86.6K

-8.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 €755

$508 ฿16.8K

72.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

5.57

-21.72%

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

Last update for Porto Rafti: September 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Porto Rafti and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto Rafti pays 73% 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: $64.0 in Porto Rafti vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $275, with Porto Rafti cheaper for home cooking.

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

Porto Rafti vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Porto Rafti, 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: $500 in Porto Rafti versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Porto Rafti versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Porto Rafti pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,346 in Porto Rafti, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Porto Rafti. 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 Porto Rafti, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Porto Rafti 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 6% less than in Porto Rafti. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.