Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilion and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilion and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,504 in Ilion versus $1,270 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,273 in Ilion versus $2,304 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,041 in Ilion versus $3,339 in Phuket.

Living in Ilion is roughly 18% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilion is 12% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 €11.97

$4.66 ฿150

201.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 €47.43

$46.44 ฿1,496

19.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 €7.26

$8.68 ฿280

-1.96%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.55

$2.95 ฿95.0

41.02%

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

$1.61 €1.37

$0.70 ฿22.52

130.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.50

$0.39 ฿12.70

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €4.92

$2.53 ฿81.6

128.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 €4.97

$3.78 ฿122

54.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.57

$2.22 ฿71.5

-17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 €1.14

$1.80 ฿57.8

-26.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.38

$2.19 ฿70.4

27.40%

Eggs

$4.91 €4.18

$2.31 ฿74.5

112.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 €11.80

$19.34 ฿623

-28.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.34

$3.77 ฿121

190.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €12.90

$13.22 ฿426

14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.90

$3.33 ฿107

-33.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.84

$1.65 ฿53.1

30.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.29

$2.29 ฿73.7

-34.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.12

$1.99 ฿64.1

24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.16

$1.53 ฿49.24

-10.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.03

$1.51 ฿48.77

-19.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.77

$1.03 ฿33.12

-11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €0.97

$0.51 ฿16.57

121.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €4.85

$4.41 ฿142

29.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 €7.22

$19.41 ฿625

-56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.72

$1.80 ฿58.0

12.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.51

$2.68 ฿86.4

9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.36

$1.43 ฿46.11

11.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 €39.86

$11.70 ฿377

299.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.53

$3.04 ฿97.9

36.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.79 €10.06

$13.68 ฿441

-13.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.83

$1.30 ฿41.85

64.62%

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

$28.6K €24.4K

$27.9K ฿898.9K

2.51%

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

$25.1K €21.4K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-23.97%

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

$213 €181

$123 ฿3,962

73.00%

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

$26.90 €22.94

$13.82 ฿445

94.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.33 €27.57

$18.86 ฿608

71.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.30 €41.20

$61.2 ฿1,970

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.92 €22.11

$16.81 ฿541

54.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 €8.22

$8.87 ฿286

8.57%

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

$510 €435

$696 ฿22.4K

-26.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,424 €5,479

$16.1K ฿517.4K

-60.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €77.7

$59.3 ฿1,910

53.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 €27.81

$34.85 ฿1,123

-6.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €85.7

$113 ฿3,646

-11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €97.3

$85.1 ฿2,740

34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 €423

$615 ฿19.8K

-19.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 €329

$448 ฿14.4K

-13.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 €660

$2,085 ฿67.2K

-62.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 €520

$1,496 ฿48.2K

-59.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,800 €3,241

$3,734 ฿120.3K

1.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,102 €2,646

$2,662 ฿85.8K

16.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,346 €1,148

$534 ฿17.2K

152.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

5.33

-9.94%

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

Last update for Ilion: April 22, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $496 in Ilion and $615 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 152% 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: $56 in Ilion vs $46 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $291 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Ilion vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilion and Phuket differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,504 vs $1,270 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Ilion pays 152% more on average, 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: $496 in Ilion versus $615 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $510 in Ilion versus $696 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Ilion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,270 in Phuket versus $1,504 in Ilion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ilion. 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, Ilion 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Ilion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.