Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tobago and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Tobago and in Phuket: $1,214 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,214

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Tobago versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Tobago $1,214
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in Tobago versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Tobago $1,829
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,444 in Tobago versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Tobago $2,444
Phuket $2,867

Living in Tobago is roughly 1% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tobago 10% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 TTD 68.0

$4.58 ฿153

120.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.09 TTD 283

$32.48 ฿1,086

29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 TTD 65.1

$8.55 ฿286

13.10%

Cappuccino

$3.86 TTD 25.94

$2.72 ฿91.0

41.91%

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

$1.63 TTD 10.97

$0.94 ฿31.25

73.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 TTD 11.04

$0.49 ฿16.39

234.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 TTD 24.56

$2.59 ฿86.6

40.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 TTD 30.12

$3.83 ฿128

16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 TTD 16.94

$1.74 ฿58.1

44.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 TTD 16.26

$1.43 ฿47.82

69.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 TTD 16.09

$1.53 ฿51.0

56.21%

Eggs

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$2.17 ฿72.7

127.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 TTD 42.96

$19.15 ฿640

-66.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 TTD 48.41

$3.30 ฿110

118.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 TTD 40.39

$11.14 ฿372

-46.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 TTD 27.72

$2.95 ฿98.5

39.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 TTD 16.21

$1.68 ฿56.1

43.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.07

$2.30 ฿76.8

-2.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$2.13 ฿71.3

5.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.70

$1.53 ฿51.1

-34.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 TTD 10.67

$1.36 ฿45.55

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 TTD 12.63

$1.12 ฿37.44

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 TTD 9.77

$0.55 ฿18.24

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 TTD 30.31

$4.26 ฿142

5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.33 TTD 150

$18.19 ฿608

22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 TTD 25.04

$1.74 ฿58.2

113.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 TTD 30.28

$2.79 ฿93.3

61.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$2.22 ฿74.1

-65.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 TTD 4.83

$2.91 ฿97.3

-75.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 TTD 59.7

$3.83 ฿128

131.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 TTD 6.93

$1.49 ฿49.85

-30.87%

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)

$59.5 TTD 400

$99.4 ฿3,321

-40.17%

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

$26.84 TTD 181

$11.28 ฿377

137.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 TTD 492

$17.36 ฿580

321.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 TTD 344

$52.3 ฿1,747

-2.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 TTD 52.9

$7.57 ฿253

3.83%

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

$72.4 TTD 487

$558 ฿18.7K

-87.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.66 TTD 300

$62.9 ฿2,102

-28.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 TTD 322

$28.58 ฿955

67.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 TTD 949

$96.1 ฿3,213

46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 TTD 606

$88.1 ฿2,943

2.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 TTD 2,732

$729 ฿24.4K

-44.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 TTD 2,232

$460 ฿15.4K

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 TTD 3,683

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-73.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,416

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-58.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 TTD 4,912

$493 ฿16.5K

48.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Tobago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tobago

$332 27.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 38.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Tobago

$310 25.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 13.8% $43

Eating Out

Tobago

$196 16.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 38.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tobago

$159 13.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 19.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Tobago

$146 12%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Tobago

$67 5.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Tobago

$3.8 * 0.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 923% $35

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 $406 in Tobago and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tobago pays 48% 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: $42.00 in Tobago vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tobago

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

02:24 2:24 AM

11 h ahead of Tobago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tobago Phuket 16,870 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Tobago
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

Tobago vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Tobago, 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: $406 in Tobago versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $72.4 in Tobago 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 Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $42.00 in Tobago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,214 in Tobago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tobago. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tobago, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tobago 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Tobago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.