Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riobamba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $557 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
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Riobamba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$557

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Riobamba versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Riobamba $557
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $889 in Riobamba versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Riobamba $889
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,220 in Riobamba versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Riobamba $1,220
Phuket $3,115

Living in Riobamba costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Riobamba 59% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 $3.47

$4.39 ฿147

-20.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.17 $16.17

$32.31 ฿1,085

-49.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 $6.27

$8.70 ฿292

-27.93%

Cappuccino

$2.36 $2.36

$2.72 ฿91.5

-13.24%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$0.93 ฿31.25

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.50 ฿16.78

42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.53 ฿85.0

-21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.63 ฿122

-19.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.74 ฿58.4

-43.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.45 ฿48.73

50.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.50 ฿50.5

-42.67%

Eggs

$1.70 $1.70

$2.17 ฿73.0

-21.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$19.09 ฿641

-89.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.40 ฿114

-8.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$10.90 ฿366

-56.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.94 ฿98.8

-39.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.69 ฿56.8

-71.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.19 ฿73.7

-35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.12 ฿71.4

-53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.46 ฿48.99

-47.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.37 ฿45.95

-37.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.08 ฿36.14

-56.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.55 ฿18.32

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.43 ฿149

15.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 $5.45

$18.25 ฿613

-70.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.77 ฿59.5

-13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.88 ฿96.8

1.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.45 ฿48.62

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.51 ฿50.8

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.78 ฿26.06

38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 $11.08

$3.84 ฿129

188.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.49 ฿49.96

-44.30%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

-13.44%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

15.37%

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

$19.63 $19.63

$97.8 ฿3,285

-79.93%

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

$6.88 $6.88

$11.29 ฿379

-39.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.13 $27.13

$17.19 ฿577

57.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 $25.35

$68.3 ฿2,295

-62.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.55 $16.55

$10.92 ฿367

51.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 $6.01

$7.43 ฿250

-19.11%

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

$79.6 $79.6

$530 ฿17.8K

-85.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,459 $1,459

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-92.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$61.7 ฿2,072

-18.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 $48.00

$28.25 ฿949

69.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$96.0 ฿3,225

8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$86.8 ฿2,916

-17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 $117

$721 ฿24.2K

-83.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.9 $95.9

$509 ฿17.1K

-81.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 $222

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-88.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-86.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$497 $497

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-88.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 $340

$492 ฿16.5K

-30.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

5.57

100.36%

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

Last update for Riobamba: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Riobamba

$142 25.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 87.9% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Riobamba

$123 22.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 0.6% $0.7

Eating Out

Riobamba

$97 17.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 23.8% $23

Accommodation & Living

Riobamba

$96 17.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 431% $413

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riobamba

$54 9.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 135% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Riobamba

$37 6.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 123% $46

Getting Around

Riobamba

$7.9 * 1.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 742% $58

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 $117 in Riobamba and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 45% 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: $16 in Riobamba vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $267 per month, with Riobamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

12 h ahead of Riobamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riobamba Phuket 19,250 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Riobamba
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

Riobamba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riobamba is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Riobamba. 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: $117 in Riobamba versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $80 in Riobamba versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Riobamba – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $557 in Riobamba versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Riobamba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Riobamba 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, Riobamba and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Riobamba wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.