Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilcabamba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilcabamba: $973 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$973

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $973 in Vilcabamba versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Vilcabamba $973
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,431 in Vilcabamba versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Vilcabamba $1,431
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,889 in Vilcabamba versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Vilcabamba $1,889
Phuket $2,822

Living in Vilcabamba costs roughly 18% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vilcabamba 27% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 $3.40

$4.35 ฿146

-21.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.83 $29.83

$32.45 ฿1,087

-8.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 $7.79

$8.42 ฿282

-7.48%

Cappuccino

$2.11 $2.11

$2.81 ฿94.0

-24.91%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$0.87 ฿29.29

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.46 ฿15.39

123.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.59 ฿86.6

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.64 ฿122

-6.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.71 ฿57.2

-39.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.45 ฿48.42

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.56 ฿52.3

-0.64%

Eggs

$2.61 $2.61

$2.10 ฿70.3

24.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 $8.33

$19.53 ฿654

-57.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.40 ฿114

55.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 $7.31

$11.14 ฿373

-34.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.83 ฿94.8

-39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.62 ฿54.3

-33.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.22 ฿74.5

-48.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.15 ฿71.9

-47.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.49 ฿49.95

-33.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.33 ฿44.40

-18.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.07 ฿35.72

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.51 ฿17.01

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.38 ฿147

21.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 $11.18

$18.77 ฿629

-40.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.74 ฿58.3

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.78 ฿92.9

-1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$2.17 ฿72.6

-83.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.70 $17.70

$22.28 ฿746

-20.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 $1.33

$3.02 ฿101

-55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.06 ฿35.43

1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 $9.99

$3.71 ฿124

169.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.43 ฿47.88

-51.75%

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

$20.6K $20.6K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-21.79%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

12.49%

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

$36.96 $36.96

$96.7 ฿3,236

-61.76%

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

$13.21 $13.21

$11.41 ฿382

15.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 $35.35

$17.11 ฿573

106.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 $29.52

$52.8 ฿1,768

-44.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.30 $16.30

$11.07 ฿371

47.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.96 $6.96

$7.65 ฿256

-9.02%

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

$218 $218

$555 ฿18.6K

-60.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,039 $6,039

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-46.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$63.4 ฿2,123

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.22 $42.22

$28.61 ฿958

47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$96.7 ฿3,238

3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 $69.4

$88.6 ฿2,967

-21.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 $376

$735 ฿24.6K

-48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 $389

$458 ฿15.3K

-15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 $579

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-51.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,212 $1,212

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-65.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$764 $764

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-69.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 $457

$501 ฿16.8K

-8.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

5.57

80.43%

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

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilcabamba

$389 40.4%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 17.9% $69

Groceries & Markets

Vilcabamba

$197 20.5%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 36% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Vilcabamba

$120 12.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 4.4% $5.2

Eating Out

Vilcabamba

$101 10.5%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 18.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilcabamba

$86 8.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 46.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Vilcabamba

$43 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 56.8% $25

Getting Around

Vilcabamba

$26 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 51.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $376 in Vilcabamba and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 10% 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: $30.00 in Vilcabamba vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $268 per month, with Vilcabamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

12 h ahead of Vilcabamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vilcabamba Phuket 19,530 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilcabamba
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

Vilcabamba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilcabamba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $376 in Vilcabamba versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $218 in Vilcabamba versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $973 in Vilcabamba versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vilcabamba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vilcabamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Vilcabamba 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 Vilcabamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.