Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilamoura and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,642 in Vilamoura, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Vilamoura
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Vilamoura Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Vilamoura

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,642

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Vilamoura versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Vilamoura $1,642
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,398 in Vilamoura versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Vilamoura $2,398
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Vilamoura versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Vilamoura $3,154
Phuket $3,154

Living in Vilamoura is roughly 28% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vilamoura is 21% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 €11.97

$4.47 ฿151

197.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 €50.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

72.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.96

$8.81 ฿297

25.77%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.64

$2.83 ฿95.5

-35.69%

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

$2.32 €2.08

$0.87 ฿29.43

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.49 ฿16.67

234.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.56 ฿86.4

11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$3.68 ฿124

-33.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.46 ฿49.35

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.50 ฿50.6

-1.33%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.10

$2.09 ฿70.5

65.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.75

$19.07 ฿644

-31.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 €5.38

$3.30 ฿111

81.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.48 €10.31

$10.91 ฿368

5.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.93 ฿99.0

-24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.69 ฿57.1

-25.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.37

$2.25 ฿75.8

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.20

$2.08 ฿70.1

17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.51 ฿51.0

21.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.38 ฿46.56

44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.07 ฿35.99

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.52 ฿17.52

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 €5.78

$4.20 ฿142

53.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.14

$18.79 ฿634

-69.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.82 ฿61.5

-31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.84 ฿95.9

21.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.45 ฿49.03

51.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.02 €36.85

$56.7 ฿1,913

-27.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 €3.28

$3.02 ฿102

20.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.95

$1.02 ฿34.36

2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.75 €15.05

$3.69 ฿125

353.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.47 ฿49.81

42.86%

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

$33.2K €29.9K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

24.16%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

42.62%

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

$133 €119

$96.4 ฿3,254

37.82%

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

$18.71 €16.80

$11.26 ฿380

66.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 €30.58

$16.85 ฿569

102.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.89 €30.45

$67.2 ฿2,270

-49.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.13 €15.39

$10.73 ฿362

59.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 €8.53

$7.50 ฿253

26.67%

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

$461 €414

$476 ฿16.1K

-3.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-0.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €64.5

$62.4 ฿2,106

15.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.71 €40.17

$28.41 ฿959

57.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.6

$94.3 ฿3,184

5.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €92.0

$85.8 ฿2,898

19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €854

$716 ฿24.2K

32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 €691

$491 ฿16.6K

56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 €2,245

$1,927 ฿65.1K

29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 €1,039

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-19.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 €2,790

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-25.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,347 €2,108

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-22.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 €950

$502 ฿17.0K

110.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

5.57

-35.91%

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

Last update for Vilamoura: 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

Vilamoura

$769 46.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 36.1% $278

Groceries & Markets

Vilamoura

$236 14.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 13% $31

Eating Out

Vilamoura

$197 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 38.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilamoura

$186 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Vilamoura

$143 8.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15% $22

Getting Around

Vilamoura

$59 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 20.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Vilamoura

$53 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 55.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $951 in Vilamoura and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilamoura pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Vilamoura vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $266, with Vilamoura cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vilamoura

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

7 h ahead of Vilamoura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,819

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Vilamoura Phuket 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilamoura
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

Vilamoura vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Vilamoura 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: $951 in Vilamoura versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $461 in Vilamoura versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Vilamoura pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,642 in Vilamoura, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Vilamoura. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Vilamoura 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Vilamoura on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.