Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto la Cruz and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto la Cruz: $736 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Puerto la Cruz
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Puerto la Cruz Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Puerto la Cruz

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$736

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Puerto la Cruz versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Puerto la Cruz $736
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Puerto la Cruz versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Puerto la Cruz $1,329
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Puerto la Cruz versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Puerto la Cruz $1,921
Phuket $2,822

Living in Puerto la Cruz costs roughly 38% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto la Cruz 45% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 VES 8,726

$4.35 ฿146

129.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 VES 53.2K

$32.45 ฿1,091

87.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 VES 6,686

$8.42 ฿283

-9.26%

Cappuccino

$3.41 VES 2,980

$2.81 ฿94.3

21.35%

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

$0.71 VES 619

$0.87 ฿29.41

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 VES 424

$0.46 ฿15.45

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 VES 1,067

$2.59 ฿86.9

-52.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 VES 1,344

$3.64 ฿123

-57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 VES 1,718

$1.71 ฿57.4

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 VES 1,076

$1.45 ฿48.61

-15.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 VES 1,080

$1.56 ฿52.5

-21.15%

Eggs

$2.43 VES 2,126

$2.10 ฿70.5

15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 VES 6,280

$19.53 ฿656

-63.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 VES 7,807

$3.40 ฿114

162.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.20 VES 9,799

$11.14 ฿374

0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.18 VES 6,277

$2.83 ฿95.2

153.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 VES 1,157

$1.62 ฿54.5

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.51 VES 450

$2.22 ฿74.8

-77.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 VES 1,972

$2.15 ฿72.2

5.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 VES 1,973

$1.49 ฿50.2

51.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 VES 1,864

$1.33 ฿44.57

60.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 VES 1,373

$1.07 ฿35.86

46.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 VES 1,428

$0.51 ฿17.07

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 VES 3,395

$4.38 ฿147

-11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 VES 6,865

$18.77 ฿631

-58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 VES 884

$1.74 ฿58.5

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 VES 1,335

$2.78 ฿93.3

-44.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 VES 323

$2.17 ฿72.9

-82.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.35 VES 26.5K

$22.28 ฿749

36.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 VES 2,591

$3.02 ฿101

-1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 VES 2,463

$1.06 ฿35.56

166.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 VES 8,843

$3.71 ฿125

172.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 VES 418

$1.43 ฿48.07

-66.43%

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

$25.3K VES 22.1M

$26.3K ฿885.5K

-4.10%

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

$37.8K VES 33.0M

$26.2K ฿880.7K

44.21%

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

$21.60 VES 18.9K

$96.7 ฿3,249

-77.65%

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

$9.80 VES 8,575

$11.41 ฿384

-14.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.11 VES 23.7K

$17.11 ฿575

58.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.65 VES 25.9K

$52.8 ฿1,775

-43.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.14 VES 22.0K

$11.07 ฿372

127.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 VES 4,461

$7.65 ฿257

-33.33%

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

$59.4 VES 52.0K

$555 ฿18.6K

-89.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,978 VES 2.6M

$11.3K ฿379.2K

-73.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.31 VES 41.4K

$63.4 ฿2,131

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.48 VES 30.2K

$28.61 ฿961

20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.85 VES 40.1K

$96.7 ฿3,251

-52.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.92 VES 41.9K

$88.6 ฿2,978

-45.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$150 VES 130.8K

$735 ฿24.7K

-79.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.1 VES 83.2K

$458 ฿15.4K

-79.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 VES 271.1K

$2,102 ฿70.6K

-85.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 VES 173.2K

$1,187 ฿39.9K

-83.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$745 VES 651.5K

$3,493 ฿117.4K

-78.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$370 VES 323.7K

$2,491 ฿83.7K

-85.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 VES 196.7K

$501 ฿16.8K

-55.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

169.30%

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

Last update for Puerto la Cruz: October 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Puerto la Cruz

$264 35.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 1.4% $3.7

Eating Out

Puerto la Cruz

$158 21.2%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 24.3% $38

Accommodation & Living

Puerto la Cruz

$95 12.8%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 382% $363

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto la Cruz

$79 10.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 58% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto la Cruz

$59 7.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 114% $67

Getting Around

Puerto la Cruz

$49 6.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 19.7% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto la Cruz

$40 5.4%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 70.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $150 in Puerto la Cruz and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 123% 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: $61.0 in Puerto la Cruz vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $268, with Puerto la Cruz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Puerto la Cruz

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

11 h ahead of Puerto la Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

272,231

79,308

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.61 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto la Cruz Phuket 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto la Cruz
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 la Cruz vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto la Cruz is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $150 in Puerto la Cruz versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $59.4 in Puerto la Cruz versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Puerto la Cruz versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Puerto la Cruz but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto la Cruz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puerto la Cruz 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, Puerto la Cruz 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 Puerto la Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.