Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vila Real and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Real: $1,223 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
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Vila Real Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,223

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Vila Real versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Vila Real $1,223
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,790 in Vila Real versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Vila Real $1,790
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,356 in Vila Real versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Vila Real $2,356
Phuket $3,154

Living in Vila Real costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vila Real 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 €8.17

$4.47 ฿151

104.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 €24.92

$32.41 ฿1,093

-14.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 €6.81

$8.81 ฿297

-13.62%

Cappuccino

$1.10 €0.99

$2.83 ฿95.4

-61.13%

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

$1.70 €1.52

$0.87 ฿29.41

95.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.49 ฿16.65

130.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.56 ฿86.3

32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.68 ฿124

-58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.66 ฿55.9

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.46 ฿49.31

-4.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.50 ฿50.5

-20.00%

Eggs

$2.63 €2.36

$2.09 ฿70.5

25.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 €8.66

$19.07 ฿643

-49.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 €6.98

$3.30 ฿111

136.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.29

$10.91 ฿368

36.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.93 ฿98.9

-42.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.69 ฿57.0

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.25 ฿75.8

-30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$2.08 ฿70.0

25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.51 ฿51.0

-5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.38 ฿46.52

24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.07 ฿35.96

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$0.52 ฿17.51

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.64

$4.20 ฿142

49.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.91

$18.79 ฿634

-76.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

-39.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.84 ฿95.8

-42.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.45 ฿48.98

-13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.62 €22.05

$56.7 ฿1,912

-56.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.75

$3.02 ฿102

38.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.02 ฿34.33

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.81 €15.05

$3.69 ฿125

355.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.47 ฿49.76

41.50%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

18.18%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

40.05%

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

$109 €97.3

$96.4 ฿3,251

12.70%

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

$16.62 €14.89

$11.26 ฿380

47.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.77 €41.00

$16.85 ฿568

171.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.35 €28.97

$67.2 ฿2,268

-51.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.22 €9.15

$10.73 ฿362

-4.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.98

$7.50 ฿253

18.80%

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

$328 €294

$476 ฿16.1K

-31.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,782 €8,760

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 €58.1

$62.4 ฿2,104

4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 €28.04

$28.41 ฿958

10.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.8

$94.3 ฿3,181

-10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.3

$85.8 ฿2,895

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 €703

$716 ฿24.2K

9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 €431

$491 ฿16.6K

-1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €905

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-47.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 €685

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-46.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,711 €1,533

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-59.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 €1,176

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-56.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 €963

$502 ฿16.9K

114.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

5.57

-36.27%

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

Last update for Vila Real: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vila Real

$481 39.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 2% $9.5

Groceries & Markets

Vila Real

$222 18.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vila Real

$171 14%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.2% $47

Eating Out

Vila Real

$140 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Vila Real

$116 9.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.9% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Vila Real

$50 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 63.9% $32

Getting Around

Vila Real

$42 3.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 66.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $785 in Vila Real and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vila Real pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Vila Real vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $266 per month, with Vila Real cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

05:44 5:44 AM

7 h ahead of Vila Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,574

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vila Real Phuket 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Vila Real
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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

Vila Real vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vila Real is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Vila Real is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $785 in Vila Real versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $328 in Vila Real versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vila Real 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.

Safety-wise, Vila Real and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.