Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcán and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $890 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 Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$890

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $890 in Tulcán versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Tulcán $890
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,479 in Tulcán versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Tulcán $1,479
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,067 in Tulcán versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Tulcán $2,067
Phuket $3,115

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 $5.46

$4.39 ฿148

24.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$32.31 ฿1,090

71.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 $7.77

$8.70 ฿294

-10.69%

Cappuccino

$3.41 $3.41

$2.72 ฿91.9

25.37%

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)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.53 ฿85.4

41.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.63 ฿122

67.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.74 ฿58.7

-37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.45 ฿48.95

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.50 ฿50.7

4.67%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$2.17 ฿73.3

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$19.09 ฿644

-66.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.40 ฿115

54.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$10.90 ฿368

-29.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.94 ฿99.2

-21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.69 ฿57.1

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.19 ฿74.0

-39.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.12 ฿71.7

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.46 ฿49.21

-17.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.37 ฿46.15

-21.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.08 ฿36.30

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.55 ฿18.41

87.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.43 ฿149

35.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 $8.59

$18.25 ฿616

-52.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.77 ฿59.8

-14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.88 ฿97.2

7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.45 ฿48.84

-76.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.78 ฿26.18

88.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 $10.09

$3.84 ฿130

162.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.49 ฿50.2

-41.61%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-12.74%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

14.77%

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

$28.34 $28.34

$97.8 ฿3,300

-71.03%

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

$18.09 $18.09

$11.29 ฿381

60.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 $28.93

$17.19 ฿580

68.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 $29.41

$68.3 ฿2,305

-56.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 $16.25

$10.92 ฿368

48.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 $6.41

$7.43 ฿251

-13.73%

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

$744 $744

$530 ฿17.9K

40.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,868 $8,868

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-52.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 $70.4

$61.7 ฿2,081

14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.24 $49.24

$28.25 ฿953

74.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$96.0 ฿3,239

21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$86.8 ฿2,929

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 $418

$721 ฿24.3K

-42.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 $268

$509 ฿17.2K

-47.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-57.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 $508

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-63.63%

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 Tulcán: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulcán

$268 30.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 90.1% $241

Groceries & Markets

Tulcán

$192 21.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 38.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcán

$155 17.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 20.6% $32

Eating Out

Tulcán

$148 16.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 19.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcán

$75 8.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 67.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcán

$42 4.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 96.9% $41

Getting Around

Tulcán

$10 * 1.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 548% $56

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 $418 in Tulcán and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Tulcán vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $267, with Tulcán cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

12 h ahead of Tulcán

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,734

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tulcán Phuket 18,960 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulcán
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

Tulcán vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcán 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 Tulcán 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: $418 in Tulcán versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $744 in Tulcán 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 $56 in Tulcán. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $890 in Tulcán versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcán but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcán 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.