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: $1,636 in Ilion versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Ilion versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,515 in Ilion versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Ilion is roughly 29% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilion is 19% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 €12.10

$4.66 ฿154

201.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €54.1

$32.22 ฿1,065

94.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €7.88

$8.68 ฿287

5.30%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.66

$2.90 ฿95.8

46.21%

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

$2.31 €1.99

$0.84 ฿27.89

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.52

$0.49 ฿16.16

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 €5.05

$2.48 ฿82.0

135.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €4.87

$3.73 ฿123

51.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.42

$1.89 ฿62.3

-12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.27

$1.41 ฿46.54

4.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.89 €2.49

$1.62 ฿53.6

78.40%

Eggs

$5.10 €4.39

$2.24 ฿74.1

127.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 €11.10

$19.84 ฿656

-35.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 €9.71

$3.48 ฿115

223.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.52

$11.37 ฿376

68.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €1.95

$2.90 ฿95.8

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.72 ฿57.0

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 €1.24

$2.27 ฿75.1

-37.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.90

$2.13 ฿70.4

3.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.00

$1.47 ฿48.72

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.04

$1.42 ฿46.92

-14.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 €0.76

$1.10 ฿36.25

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.78

$0.60 ฿19.76

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 €4.69

$4.31 ฿142

26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 €7.10

$18.60 ฿615

-55.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.53

$1.80 ฿59.5

-1.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.00

$2.97 ฿98.0

17.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.23

$2.25 ฿74.2

-36.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.62 €41.91

$23.49 ฿776

106.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.68 €4.03

$3.10 ฿102

50.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.89

$1.08 ฿35.56

-4.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 €12.27

$3.87 ฿128

267.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €1.96

$1.43 ฿47.16

59.44%

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

$29.0K €25.0K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

4.40%

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

$25.4K €21.9K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

-5.86%

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

$224 €193

$105 ฿3,462

114.08%

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

$27.52 €23.72

$11.39 ฿376

141.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.92 €24.93

$17.54 ฿580

64.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €44.66

$54.3 ฿1,795

-4.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.80 €22.24

$11.44 ฿378

125.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 €7.83

$7.78 ฿257

16.84%

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

$491 €424

$576 ฿19.0K

-14.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,781 €4,121

$11.6K ฿382.7K

-58.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 €60.9

$63.6 ฿2,103

11.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.86 €31.78

$29.10 ฿961

26.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.5

$96.2 ฿3,179

7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €95.6

$90.0 ฿2,974

23.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €535

$733 ฿24.2K

-15.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 €447

$501 ฿16.5K

3.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 €1,041

$2,126 ฿70.2K

-43.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €892

$1,252 ฿41.4K

-17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,702 €3,192

$3,534 ฿116.8K

4.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,042 €2,622

$2,622 ฿86.6K

16.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,327 €1,144

$508 ฿16.8K

161.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.4

5.57

-21.01%

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

Last update for Ilion: September 7, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Ilion and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 161% 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: $63.0 in Ilion vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $275 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 29% in total monthly costs ($1,636 vs $1,265 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 161% higher in Ilion, 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: $621 in Ilion versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ilion versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Ilion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,636 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 29% less than in Ilion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.