Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Encarnacion and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $830 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$830

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $830 in Encarnacion versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Encarnacion $830
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,285 in Encarnacion versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Encarnacion $1,285
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,739 in Encarnacion versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Encarnacion $1,739
Phuket $3,154

Living in Encarnacion costs roughly 35% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Encarnacion 39% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ₲26.4K

$4.47 ฿151

-1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.62 ₲206.5K

$32.41 ฿1,093

6.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 ₲42.3K

$8.81 ฿297

-19.52%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₲15.4K

$2.83 ฿95.4

-8.48%

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

$1.49 ₲8,876

$0.87 ฿29.41

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₲3,240

$0.49 ฿16.65

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₲5,746

$2.56 ฿86.3

-62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₲12.6K

$3.68 ฿124

-42.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₲6,540

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ₲5,511

$1.46 ฿49.31

-36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 ₲10.4K

$1.50 ฿50.5

16.67%

Eggs

$1.56 ₲9,315

$2.09 ฿70.5

-25.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.17 ₲30.8K

$19.07 ฿643

-72.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₲19.6K

$3.30 ฿111

-0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.62 ₲33.5K

$10.91 ฿368

-48.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₲12.8K

$2.93 ฿98.9

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₲5,053

$1.69 ฿57.0

-49.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 ₲5,123

$2.25 ฿75.8

-61.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₲9,992

$2.08 ฿70.0

-19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₲5,321

$1.51 ฿51.0

-41.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ₲5,224

$1.38 ฿46.52

-36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₲3,325

$1.07 ฿35.96

-47.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₲3,117

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.46 ₲8,722

$4.20 ฿142

-65.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 ₲33.5K

$18.79 ฿634

-70.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₲5,072

$1.82 ฿61.5

-53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₲9,193

$2.84 ฿95.8

-45.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 ₲5,028

$1.45 ฿48.98

-42.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.00 ₲208.8K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-38.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₲7,680

$3.02 ฿102

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₲4,292

$1.02 ฿34.33

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 ₲40.2K

$3.69 ฿125

82.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₲7,105

$1.47 ฿49.76

-19.05%

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

$13.8K ₲82.6M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-48.29%

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

$25.8K ₲154.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-3.15%

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

$43.84 ₲261.5K

$96.4 ฿3,251

-54.50%

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

$13.41 ₲80.0K

$11.26 ฿380

19.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 ₲112.1K

$16.85 ฿568

11.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.45 ₲181.6K

$67.2 ฿2,268

-54.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.14 ₲78.4K

$10.73 ฿362

22.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ₲36.2K

$7.50 ฿253

-18.93%

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

$201 ₲1.2M

$476 ฿16.1K

-57.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,299 ₲19.7M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-70.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₲338.3K

$62.4 ฿2,104

-9.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.01 ₲167.1K

$28.41 ฿958

-1.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 ₲412.2K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-26.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ₲418.8K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 ₲3.0M

$716 ฿24.2K

-29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₲1.9M

$491 ฿16.6K

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 ₲4.1M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-64.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₲3.2M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-62.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,583 ₲9.4M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-62.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,409 ₲8.4M

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-53.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$367 ₲2.2M

$502 ฿16.9K

-26.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

5.57

70.56%

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

Last update for Encarnacion: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Encarnacion

$321 38.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 52.7% $170

Groceries & Markets

Encarnacion

$141 17%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 88.3% $125

Eating Out

Encarnacion

$105 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Encarnacion

$101 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Encarnacion

$76 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63.7% $48

Getting Around

Encarnacion

$43 5.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 63.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Encarnacion

$43 5.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 93% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Encarnacion and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 37% 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: $35 in Encarnacion vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $141 vs $266, with Encarnacion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

10 h ahead of Encarnacion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,600

79,308

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Encarnacion Phuket 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Encarnacion
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

Encarnacion vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $830 in Encarnacion and $1,278 in Phuket, so Encarnacion is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Encarnacion. 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: $508 in Encarnacion versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $830 per month in Encarnacion versus $1,278 in Phuket – Encarnacion is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 38% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $830 in Encarnacion versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Encarnacion but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Encarnacion 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, Encarnacion and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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