Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,363 in Punta Cana versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,955 in Punta Cana versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,546 in Punta Cana versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Punta Cana is roughly 11% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Punta Cana is 2% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.64 DOP 511

$4.63 ฿151

86.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 DOP 3,055

$46.84 ฿1,532

10.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 DOP 423

$8.84 ฿289

-19.00%

Cappuccino

$2.61 DOP 155

$3.00 ฿98.0

-13.00%

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

$0.98 DOP 58.0

$0.74 ฿24.25

32.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 DOP 48.77

$0.37 ฿11.95

124.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 DOP 153

$2.44 ฿79.8

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 DOP 300

$3.61 ฿118

40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 78.9

$2.26 ฿73.9

-40.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 DOP 85.9

$1.84 ฿60.1

-21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 DOP 88.5

$2.24 ฿73.4

-33.04%

Eggs

$2.21 DOP 131

$2.32 ฿75.7

-4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 DOP 420

$19.67 ฿643

-63.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 DOP 365

$3.65 ฿119

69.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.53 DOP 622

$13.10 ฿428

-19.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 DOP 185

$3.39 ฿111

-7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 DOP 54.3

$1.64 ฿53.7

-43.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 DOP 132

$2.41 ฿79.0

-7.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 114

$2.03 ฿66.4

-4.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 DOP 61.5

$1.56 ฿50.9

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 DOP 86.0

$1.50 ฿48.94

-2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 DOP 43.84

$1.02 ฿33.50

-27.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 DOP 56.8

$0.49 ฿16.00

95.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 DOP 344

$4.45 ฿145

30.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 DOP 690

$18.88 ฿617

-38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 DOP 158

$1.78 ฿58.1

50.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 DOP 193

$2.75 ฿90.1

18.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 DOP 52.3

$1.40 ฿45.81

-37.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 DOP 206

$3.12 ฿102

11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 DOP 124

$1.00 ฿32.67

110.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.99 DOP 354

$14.09 ฿461

-57.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 DOP 75.7

$1.35 ฿44.19

-5.19%

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

$26.5K DOP 1.6M

$27.2K ฿888.9K

-2.58%

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

$31.4K DOP 1.9M

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-4.50%

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

$75.6 DOP 4,464

$125 ฿4,087

-39.55%

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

$19.81 DOP 1,171

$13.57 ฿444

45.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.04 DOP 2,130

$18.52 ฿606

94.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 DOP 3,745

$61.5 ฿2,010

3.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 DOP 298

$9.19 ฿300

-45.16%

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

$271 DOP 16.0K

$698 ฿22.8K

-61.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,300 DOP 431.4K

$15.6K ฿509.9K

-53.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.95 DOP 942

$57.8 ฿1,889

-72.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 DOP 3,098

$35.24 ฿1,152

48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 DOP 3,918

$113 ฿3,699

-41.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 DOP 6,866

$86.4 ฿2,825

34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 DOP 50.4K

$616 ฿20.1K

38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 DOP 38.9K

$446 ฿14.6K

47.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 DOP 76.2K

$2,048 ฿67.0K

-37.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 DOP 53.6K

$1,492 ฿48.8K

-39.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,034 DOP 179.3K

$3,779 ฿123.6K

-19.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,293 DOP 76.4K

$2,649 ฿86.6K

-51.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.9

5.33

142.03%

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

Last update for Punta Cana: April 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $853 in Punta Cana and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Punta Cana vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $292, with Punta Cana 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

Punta Cana vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,044 in Punta Cana and $1,847 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $853 in Punta Cana versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $271 in Punta Cana versus $698 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 $47.00 versus $52.0 in Punta Cana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,363 in Punta Cana, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Punta Cana. 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 Punta Cana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Punta Cana 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 11% less than in Punta Cana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.