Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $850 in Sal versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sal $850
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Sal versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sal $1,313
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,777 in Sal versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sal $1,777
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sal costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sal 37% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.51 CVE 540

$4.58 ฿153

20.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.18 CVE 4,332

$32.48 ฿1,086

36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 CVE 1,081

$8.55 ฿286

29.01%

Cappuccino

$2.32 CVE 227

$2.72 ฿91.0

-14.71%

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

$2.54 CVE 249

$0.94 ฿31.25

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 CVE 107

$0.49 ฿16.39

122.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 CVE 452

$2.59 ฿86.6

77.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 CVE 301

$3.83 ฿128

-19.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 CVE 155

$1.74 ฿58.1

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 CVE 223

$1.43 ฿47.82

58.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 CVE 118

$1.53 ฿51.0

-21.57%

Eggs

$2.79 CVE 273

$2.17 ฿72.7

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 CVE 886

$19.15 ฿640

-52.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 CVE 736

$3.30 ฿110

127.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 CVE 1,568

$11.14 ฿372

43.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CVE 310

$2.95 ฿98.5

7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 CVE 245

$1.68 ฿56.1

48.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 CVE 326

$2.30 ฿76.8

44.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CVE 391

$2.13 ฿71.3

86.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CVE 161

$1.53 ฿51.1

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 CVE 182

$1.36 ฿45.55

36.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CVE 152

$1.12 ฿37.44

38.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CVE 108

$0.55 ฿18.24

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 CVE 448

$4.26 ฿142

7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 CVE 628

$18.19 ฿608

-64.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.03 CVE 395

$1.74 ฿58.2

131.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CVE 184

$2.79 ฿93.3

-32.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 CVE 96.6

$2.22 ฿74.1

-55.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 CVE 204

$2.91 ฿97.3

-28.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 CVE 302

$1.01 ฿33.79

204.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 CVE 1,240

$3.83 ฿128

230.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CVE 135

$1.49 ฿49.85

-7.38%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$60.8 CVE 5,964

$99.4 ฿3,321

-38.79%

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

$11.28 ฿377

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.23 CVE 4,827

$17.36 ฿580

183.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.47 CVE 2,694

$52.3 ฿1,747

-47.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

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

$115 CVE 11.2K

$558 ฿18.7K

-79.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.09 CVE 2,950

$62.9 ฿2,102

-52.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CVE 14.1K

$88.1 ฿2,943

63.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 CVE 24.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-65.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 CVE 16.5K

$460 ฿15.4K

-63.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 CVE 30.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-85.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 CVE 20.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-83.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$654 CVE 64.1K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-81.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$331 CVE 32.5K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-86.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 CVE 25.2K

$493 ฿16.5K

-47.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$296 34.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 9.6% $28

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$168 19.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 174% $292

Eating Out

Sal

$149 17.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 18.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$110 * 13%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 16.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$78 * 9.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 58.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$27 * 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 145% $40

Getting Around

Sal

$21 * 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 81.4% $17

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 $252 in Sal and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 92% 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: $44.00 in Sal vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

8 h ahead of Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

79,308

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sal Phuket 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sal
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

Sal vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $252 in Sal versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $115 in Sal 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 Sal – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $850 in Sal versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sal 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, Sal 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 Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.