Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquitos and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquitos: $656 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Iquitos

🇵🇪 Peru

$656

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $656 per month in Iquitos vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Iquitos $656
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,177 per month in Iquitos vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Iquitos $1,177
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,697 per month in Iquitos vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Iquitos $1,697
Phuket $3,115

Iquitos is about 49% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iquitos and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Iquitos 52% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 PEN 14.56

$4.39 ฿147

-3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.33 PEN 129

$32.31 ฿1,078

15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 PEN 24.35

$8.70 ฿290

-18.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 PEN 11.75

$2.72 ฿90.9

25.37%

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

$0.83 PEN 2.85

$0.93 ฿31.06

-10.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 PEN 2.05

$0.50 ฿16.67

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 PEN 10.06

$2.53 ฿84.5

15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 PEN 24.75

$3.63 ฿121

98.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 PEN 5.82

$1.74 ฿58.1

-2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 PEN 7.78

$1.45 ฿48.42

55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

Eggs

$2.60 PEN 8.95

$2.17 ฿72.5

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 PEN 11.03

$3.40 ฿113

-5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$0.55 ฿18.21

65.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

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

$35.08 PEN 121

$97.8 ฿3,265

-64.13%

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

$11.15 PEN 38.37

$11.29 ฿377

-1.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.58 PEN 29.55

$17.19 ฿574

-50.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.56 PEN 102

$68.3 ฿2,281

-56.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.89 PEN 30.61

$10.92 ฿365

-18.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 PEN 19.38

$7.43 ฿248

-24.23%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,760 PEN 9,502

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-85.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 PEN 301

$61.7 ฿2,059

41.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.33 PEN 118

$28.25 ฿943

21.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 PEN 180

$96.0 ฿3,204

-45.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.33 PEN 90.6

$86.8 ฿2,898

-69.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,195

$721 ฿24.1K

-51.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 PEN 902

$509 ฿17.0K

-48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 PEN 2,953

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 PEN 2,471

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-48.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 PEN 1,995

$492 ฿16.4K

17.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Iquitos: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Groceries & Markets

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Eating Out

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Getting Around

Iquitos

–

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $347 in Iquitos versus $721 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 18% higher in Iquitos, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Iquitos versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $77 in Iquitos vs $267 in Phuket – so Iquitos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Iquitos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

12 h ahead of Iquitos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,853

79,308

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iquitos Phuket 18,980 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquitos
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

Iquitos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $983 per month in Iquitos and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquitos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $347 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 247% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Iquitos and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Iquitos, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Iquitos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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 $656 in Iquitos to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.