Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Quito versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Quito $978
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Quito versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Quito $1,586
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,194 in Quito versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Quito $2,194
Phuket $2,867

Living in Quito costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quito 28% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$4.58 ฿153

32.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

70.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$8.55 ฿286

-10.99%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$2.72 ฿91.0

25.00%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$0.94 ฿31.25

45.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.49 ฿16.39

122.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.59 ฿86.6

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.83 ฿128

58.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.74 ฿58.1

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.43 ฿47.82

11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.53 ฿51.0

3.27%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.17 ฿72.7

-2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$19.15 ฿640

-65.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$3.30 ฿110

66.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$11.14 ฿372

-31.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.95 ฿98.5

-24.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.68 ฿56.1

-29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.30 ฿76.8

-42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.13 ฿71.3

-46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.53 ฿51.1

-18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.12 ฿37.44

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.55 ฿18.24

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.26 ฿142

44.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$18.19 ฿608

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.74 ฿58.2

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.79 ฿93.3

10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$2.22 ฿74.1

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$22.06 ฿737

-3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.91 ฿97.3

-47.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.01 ฿33.79

47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$3.83 ฿128

156.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.49 ฿49.85

-45.64%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.34%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

4.45%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$99.4 ฿3,321

-71.07%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$11.28 ฿377

58.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$17.36 ฿580

62.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$52.3 ฿1,747

-11.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$10.85 ฿362

63.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$7.57 ฿253

-16.25%

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

$739 $739

$558 ฿18.7K

32.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-22.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$28.58 ฿955

76.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$96.1 ฿3,213

18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$88.1 ฿2,943

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$729 ฿24.4K

-32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$460 ฿15.4K

-32.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-55.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-49.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-71.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$493 ฿16.5K

20.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 48.9% $151

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 35.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.6% $30

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 19.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 71.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 14.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 22.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $491 in Quito and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quito pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Quito vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $268, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

12 h ahead of Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quito Phuket 19,100 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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

Quito vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Quito, 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: $491 in Quito versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $739 in Quito versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $978 in Quito versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quito 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, Quito 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 Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.