Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Spanish Town versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Spanish Town $1,009
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,922 in Spanish Town versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Spanish Town $1,922
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,834 in Spanish Town versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Spanish Town $2,834
Phuket $3,154

Living in Spanish Town costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Spanish Town 26% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,158

$4.47 ฿151

206.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

$32.41 ฿1,094

129.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,328

$8.81 ฿297

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$5.23 JMD 824

$2.83 ฿95.5

84.81%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$0.87 ฿29.43

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.49 ฿16.67

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.56 ฿86.4

-14.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 499

$3.68 ฿124

-13.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 665

$1.66 ฿56.0

153.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 JMD 582

$1.46 ฿49.35

152.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.50 ฿50.6

9.33%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 557

$2.09 ฿70.5

68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 JMD 1,801

$19.07 ฿644

-40.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,000

$3.30 ฿111

92.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 JMD 1,604

$10.91 ฿368

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$2.93 ฿99.0

107.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 602

$1.69 ฿57.1

126.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.56 JMD 1,193

$2.25 ฿75.8

236.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$2.08 ฿70.1

42.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 509

$1.51 ฿51.0

113.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 320

$1.38 ฿46.56

47.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 493

$1.07 ฿35.99

192.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 229

$0.52 ฿17.52

180.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 JMD 1,510

$4.20 ฿142

128.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,804

$18.79 ฿634

-39.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 455

$1.82 ฿61.5

58.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 616

$2.84 ฿95.9

37.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

$3.02 ฿102

-57.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 490

$1.02 ฿34.36

204.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 979

$3.69 ฿125

68.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 222

$1.47 ฿49.81

-4.08%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

64.46%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

21.86%

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

$171 JMD 26.9K

$96.4 ฿3,254

77.23%

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

$28.96 JMD 4,567

$11.26 ฿380

157.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 JMD 8,298

$16.85 ฿569

212.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,101

$7.50 ฿253

77.60%

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

$360 JMD 56.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

-24.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-25.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.26 JMD 3,667

$62.4 ฿2,106

-62.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 JMD 5,038

$28.41 ฿959

12.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$85.8 ฿2,898

21.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 JMD 98.4K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-67.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 JMD 80.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-64.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

$502 ฿17.0K

134.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$383 38%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$252 25%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.7% $128

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$222 22%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 45.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$107 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 209% $56

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 320% $54

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Spanish Town pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74 in Spanish Town vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

12 h ahead of Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

79,308

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spanish Town Phuket 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Spanish Town is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $360 in Spanish Town versus $476 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 versus $74 in Spanish Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.