Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quarteira and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,720 in Quarteira, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
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Quarteira Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,720

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,720 in Quarteira versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Quarteira $1,720
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Quarteira versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Quarteira $2,512
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,304 in Quarteira versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Quarteira $3,304
Phuket $2,867

Living in Quarteira is roughly 42% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quarteira is 27% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 €12.19

$4.58 ฿153

199.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 €52.6

$32.48 ฿1,086

82.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 €9.78

$8.55 ฿286

28.54%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$2.72 ฿91.0

-32.35%

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

$2.25 €2.00

$0.94 ฿31.25

139.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.49 ฿16.39

234.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.59 ฿86.6

8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.83 ฿128

-36.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.74 ฿58.1

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.43 ฿47.82

4.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.53 ฿51.0

-3.92%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.13

$2.17 ฿72.7

62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 €11.17

$19.15 ฿640

-34.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 €5.49

$3.30 ฿110

86.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 €10.15

$11.14 ฿372

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.68 ฿56.1

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.30 ฿76.8

-19.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.13 ฿71.3

17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.53 ฿51.1

19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.36 ฿45.55

43.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.12 ฿37.44

25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.74

$0.55 ฿18.24

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 €5.68

$4.26 ฿142

49.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 €4.43

$18.19 ฿608

-72.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$1.74 ฿58.2

-44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.79 ฿93.3

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 €4.62

$2.22 ฿74.1

134.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.35

$2.91 ฿97.3

29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.01 ฿33.79

6.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$3.83 ฿128

330.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.49 ฿49.85

40.27%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

27.16%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

43.05%

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

$163 €145

$99.4 ฿3,321

63.72%

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

$19.17 €17.05

$11.28 ฿377

69.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 €30.50

$17.36 ฿580

97.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 €78.2

$52.3 ฿1,747

68.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.78

$7.57 ฿253

30.38%

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

$452 €402

$558 ฿18.7K

-19.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,700

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-5.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 €63.6

$62.9 ฿2,102

13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 €39.72

$28.58 ฿955

56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$96.1 ฿3,213

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$88.1 ฿2,943

35.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €758

$729 ฿24.4K

16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €697

$460 ฿15.4K

70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-31.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,068

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-1.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 €1,177

$493 ฿16.5K

168.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

5.57

-35.91%

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

Last update for Quarteira: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quarteira

$784 45.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 41.3% $324

Groceries & Markets

Quarteira

$231 13.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quarteira

$216 12.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 40.8% $88

Eating Out

Quarteira

$199 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 39.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Quarteira

$152 8.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Quarteira

$108 6.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37.4% $40

Getting Around

Quarteira

$30 * 1.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 29.8% $8.9

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 $852 in Quarteira and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quarteira pays 168% 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: $59.0 in Quarteira vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $268, with Quarteira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

6 h ahead of Quarteira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,421

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Quarteira Phuket 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Quarteira vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 168% higher in Quarteira, 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: $852 in Quarteira versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $452 in Quarteira versus $558 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 $32.00 versus $59.0 in Quarteira. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,720 in Quarteira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Quarteira. 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 Quarteira, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Quarteira 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 42% less than in Quarteira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.