Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Ayora and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Ayora: $841 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Puerto Ayora

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$841

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Puerto Ayora $841
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,370 in Puerto Ayora versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Puerto Ayora $1,370
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,898 in Puerto Ayora versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Puerto Ayora $1,898
Phuket $3,154

Living in Puerto Ayora costs roughly 34% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Ayora 38% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 $3.66

$4.47 ฿151

-18.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.00 $42.00

$32.41 ฿1,092

29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 $7.51

$8.81 ฿297

-14.76%

Cappuccino

$2.75 $2.75

$2.83 ฿95.3

-2.83%

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

$0.88 $0.88

$0.87 ฿29.37

1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.49 ฿16.64

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.56 ฿86.2

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.68 ฿124

4.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.66 ฿55.9

-35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.46 ฿49.25

19.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.50 ฿50.4

1.33%

Eggs

$2.13 $2.13

$2.09 ฿70.4

1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$19.07 ฿642

-65.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.30 ฿111

62.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 $7.29

$10.91 ฿368

-33.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.93 ฿98.7

-38.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.69 ฿56.9

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.25 ฿75.7

-45.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.08 ฿70.0

-46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.51 ฿50.9

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.38 ฿46.47

-23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.07 ฿35.91

-34.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.52 ฿17.49

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.20 ฿142

22.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$18.79 ฿633

-57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.82 ฿61.4

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.84 ฿95.7

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.45 ฿48.93

-76.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.02 ฿102

-53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.02 ฿34.29

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 $10.18

$3.69 ฿124

175.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.47 ฿49.70

-52.38%

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

$20.9K $20.9K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-22.09%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

29.53%

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

$34.00 $34.00

$96.4 ฿3,247

-64.71%

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

$11.45 $11.45

$11.26 ฿380

1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.26 $26.26

$16.85 ฿568

55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 $31.96

$67.2 ฿2,266

-52.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 $17.85

$10.73 ฿361

66.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 $7.08

$7.50 ฿253

-5.60%

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

$327 $327

$476 ฿16.0K

-31.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,955 $4,955

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$62.4 ฿2,102

-12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.38 $45.38

$28.41 ฿957

59.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$94.3 ฿3,178

18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 $79.8

$85.8 ฿2,892

-6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 $475

$716 ฿24.1K

-33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 $283

$491 ฿16.5K

-42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 $697

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-63.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 $545

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-61.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$808 $808

$502 ฿16.9K

60.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

5.57

81.15%

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

Last update for Puerto Ayora: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Ayora

$283 33.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 73.2% $208

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Ayora

$188 22.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 41.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Ayora

$131 15.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.1% $9.3

Eating Out

Puerto Ayora

$112 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.9% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Ayora

$72 8.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 73.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Ayora

$46 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 78.3% $36

Getting Around

Puerto Ayora

$9.2 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 668% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $475 in Puerto Ayora and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Ayora pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42 in Puerto Ayora vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $266, with Puerto Ayora cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Puerto Ayora

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

12:25 12:25 PM

13 h ahead of Puerto Ayora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,696

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Ayora Phuket 18,770 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Ayora
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

Puerto Ayora vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Ayora is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Puerto Ayora, 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: $475 in Puerto Ayora versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $327 in Puerto Ayora 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 $42 in Puerto Ayora. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Puerto Ayora but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Ayora 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, Puerto Ayora and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.