Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahuachapan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,848 in Ahuachapan, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,848

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Ahuachapan vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Ahuachapan $1,848
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,014 per month in Ahuachapan vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,014
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Ahuachapan vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,180
Phuket $2,845

Ahuachapan costs about 53% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Ahuachapan sits 36% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 $6.83

$4.40 ฿148

55.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 $44.44

$32.26 ฿1,089

37.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 $7.11

$8.76 ฿296

-18.84%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$2.83 ฿95.4

27.56%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$0.90 ฿30.43

24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.47 ฿15.71

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.55 ฿86.0

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.83 ฿129

-8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.73 ฿58.2

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.47 ฿49.58

91.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.51 ฿51.1

-7.95%

Eggs

$3.01 $3.01

$2.17 ฿73.3

38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$19.70 ฿665

-61.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.34 ฿113

104.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 $10.36

$11.16 ฿377

-7.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.85 ฿96.0

73.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.70 ฿57.5

-18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.19 ฿74.0

16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.05 ฿69.0

67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.45 ฿49.03

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.38 ฿46.60

131.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.07 ฿36.04

-11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

$0.51 ฿17.07

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.26 ฿144

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 $11.96

$18.58 ฿627

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.78 ฿60.2

24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.85 ฿96.1

3.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.01 ฿102

101.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.06 ฿35.68

187.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$3.86 ฿130

413.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.45 ฿48.91

-13.79%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$26.3K ฿888.3K

-5.02%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.9K ฿909.1K

0.57%

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

$131 $131

$96.4 ฿3,252

36.04%

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

$21.53 $21.53

$11.04 ฿372

95.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.30 $42.30

$17.14 ฿578

146.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 $4.94

$7.81 ฿263

-36.75%

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

$164 $164

$556 ฿18.8K

-70.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,777 $4,777

$11.6K ฿390.7K

-58.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 $67.6

$64.2 ฿2,166

5.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$28.69 ฿968

62.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$95.4 ฿3,217

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$88.0 ฿2,968

35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 $530

$737 ฿24.9K

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$462 ฿15.6K

124.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 $364

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-82.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 $389

$1,201 ฿40.5K

-67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,064 $3,064

$3,488 ฿117.7K

-12.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,291 $1,291

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-48.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 $552

$501 ฿16.9K

10.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ahuachapan

$1K 56.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 55.4% $575

Groceries & Markets

Ahuachapan

$283 15.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahuachapan

$195 10.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 36.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Ahuachapan

$158 8.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.1% $33

Eating Out

Ahuachapan

$144 7.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 15.7% $23

Getting Around

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 85.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ahuachapan

$9.9 * 0.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 586% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Ahuachapan versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Ahuachapan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ahuachapan versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

13 h ahead of Ahuachapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,511

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ahuachapan Phuket 17,430 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ahuachapan
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

Ahuachapan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Ahuachapan, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,772 per month in Ahuachapan and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahuachapan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $737 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Ahuachapan and $1,208 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 53%.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Ahuachapan and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Ahuachapan at $1,848. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ahuachapan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,848 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ahuachapan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.