Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,651 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,651 in Ilopango versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ilopango $1,651
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Ilopango versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ilopango $1,885
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,119 in Ilopango versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ilopango $2,119
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ilopango is roughly 29% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilopango is 21% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 $3.11

$4.47 ฿151

-30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.31 $45.31

$32.41 ฿1,093

39.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 $5.05

$8.81 ฿297

-42.68%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$2.83 ฿95.4

-0.35%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.49 ฿16.65

89.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.56 ฿86.3

-63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.68 ฿124

-54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.66 ฿55.9

90.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.46 ฿49.31

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

98.67%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$2.09 ฿70.5

40.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$19.07 ฿643

-73.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.30 ฿111

85.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.91 ฿368

-7.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.93 ฿98.9

4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.69 ฿57.0

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.08 ฿70.0

-2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.51 ฿51.0

35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.38 ฿46.52

44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.07 ฿35.96

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.52 ฿17.51

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.20 ฿142

-2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 $11.83

$18.79 ฿634

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.82 ฿61.5

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.84 ฿95.8

-30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 ฿48.98

-36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.14 $35.14

$56.7 ฿1,912

-37.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.02 ฿102

137.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.02 ฿34.33

110.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.69 ฿125

27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.47 ฿49.76

-56.46%

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

$20.5K $20.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-23.55%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-5.07%

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

$35.26 $35.26

$96.4 ฿3,251

-63.40%

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

$9.87 $9.87

$11.26 ฿380

-12.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.61 $39.61

$16.85 ฿568

135.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 $40.56

$67.2 ฿2,268

-39.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$10.73 ฿362

-7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 $5.07

$7.50 ฿253

-32.40%

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

$107 $107

$476 ฿16.1K

-77.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,902 $1,902

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-83.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.99 $19.99

$62.4 ฿2,104

-67.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.34 $30.34

$28.41 ฿958

6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 $75.6

$94.3 ฿3,181

-19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 $59.7

$85.8 ฿2,895

-30.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 $672

$716 ฿24.2K

-6.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 $1,036

$491 ฿16.6K

111.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 $592

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-69.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-55.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 $1,748

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-58.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$964 $964

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 $991

$502 ฿16.9K

97.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.72%

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

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilopango

$1K 62.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 52.6% $546

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$250 15.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.6% $16

Eating Out

Ilopango

$89 5.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 36.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$85 5.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 46.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$84 5.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 45.9% $38

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 24.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$51 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 62.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Ilopango and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ilopango vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $266, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

13 h ahead of Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ilopango Phuket 17,480 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilopango
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

Ilopango vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Ilopango, 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: $672 in Ilopango versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $107 in Ilopango versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ilopango pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,651 in Ilopango, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. 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.

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