Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Tena versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Tena $891
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,475 in Tena versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Tena $1,475
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,060 in Tena versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Tena $2,060
Phuket $3,115

Living in Tena costs roughly 31% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tena 34% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 $5.63

$4.39 ฿148

28.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$32.31 ฿1,090

69.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.58 $7.58

$8.70 ฿294

-12.87%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$2.72 ฿91.9

22.79%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$0.93 ฿31.39

53.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.50 ฿16.85

110.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.53 ฿85.4

35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.63 ฿122

68.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.74 ฿58.7

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.45 ฿48.95

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.50 ฿50.7

0.67%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.17 ฿73.3

-4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$19.09 ฿644

-65.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.40 ฿115

59.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$10.90 ฿368

-29.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.94 ฿99.2

-20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.69 ฿57.1

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.19 ฿74.0

-42.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.12 ฿71.7

-46.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.46 ฿49.21

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.37 ฿46.15

-21.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.08 ฿36.30

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.55 ฿18.41

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.43 ฿149

33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 $8.27

$18.25 ฿616

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.77 ฿59.8

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.88 ฿97.2

7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.45 ฿48.84

-77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.51 ฿51.0

1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 $0.75

$0.78 ฿26.18

-3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.84 ฿130

158.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.49 ฿50.2

-42.28%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-13.01%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

14.24%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$97.8 ฿3,300

-70.86%

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

$17.84 $17.84

$11.29 ฿381

58.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 $28.34

$17.19 ฿580

64.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 $29.89

$68.3 ฿2,305

-56.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.69 $16.69

$10.92 ฿368

52.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 $6.50

$7.43 ฿251

-12.52%

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

$729 $729

$530 ฿17.9K

37.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,064 $9,064

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-51.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 $71.3

$61.7 ฿2,081

15.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$28.25 ฿953

78.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$96.0 ฿3,239

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$86.8 ฿2,929

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$721 ฿24.3K

-41.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 $270

$509 ฿17.2K

-46.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-58.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 $507

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-63.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Tena: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$270 30.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 88.1% $238

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$193 21.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 38.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$156 17.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 21.3% $33

Eating Out

Tena

$147 16.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 18.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$75 8.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 69.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$43 4.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 93.9% $40

Getting Around

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 897% $59

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 $422 in Tena and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Tena vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $193 vs $267, with Tena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

12 h ahead of Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tena Phuket 19,140 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tena is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,336 in Tena and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in Tena versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $729 in Tena 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 Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $55 in Tena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Tena versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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, Tena and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.