Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Nicaragua and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $820 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Leon

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$820

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $820 per month in Leon vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Leon $820
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,424 per month in Leon vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Leon $1,424
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,028 per month in Leon vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Leon $2,028
Phuket $3,154

Leon is about 36% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Leon and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Leon 40% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.05 NIO 368

$4.47 ฿151

124.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.62 NIO 1,268

$32.41 ฿1,094

6.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.84 NIO 287

$8.81 ฿297

-11.01%

Cappuccino

$2.65 NIO 96.9

$2.83 ฿95.5

-6.36%

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

$0.84 NIO 30.82

$0.87 ฿29.43

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.71

$0.49 ฿16.67

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$2.56 ฿86.4

-40.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NIO 84.5

$3.68 ฿124

-37.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 NIO 45.00

$1.66 ฿56.0

-25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 NIO 89.1

$1.46 ฿49.35

66.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 66.1

$1.50 ฿50.6

20.00%

Eggs

$2.42 NIO 88.8

$2.09 ฿70.5

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 NIO 418

$19.07 ฿644

-40.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 NIO 226

$3.30 ฿111

86.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 NIO 278

$10.91 ฿368

-30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 NIO 149

$2.93 ฿99.0

38.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 NIO 23.02

$1.69 ฿57.1

-62.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 NIO 65.5

$2.25 ฿75.8

-20.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.08 ฿70.1

20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 NIO 145

$1.51 ฿51.0

162.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 NIO 79.0

$1.38 ฿46.56

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 NIO 40.16

$1.07 ฿35.99

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NIO 37.20

$0.52 ฿17.52

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.66 NIO 97.4

$4.20 ฿142

-36.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 NIO 534

$18.79 ฿634

-22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.6

$1.82 ฿61.5

-19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 NIO 80.0

$2.84 ฿95.9

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.5

$3.02 ฿102

-47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 NIO 59.3

$1.02 ฿34.36

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 NIO 253

$3.69 ฿125

86.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 NIO 48.59

$1.47 ฿49.81

-9.52%

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

$23.2K NIO 850.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-13.32%

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

$26.2K NIO 961.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.66%

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

$150 NIO 5,510

$96.4 ฿3,254

56.14%

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

$19.89 NIO 728

$11.26 ฿380

76.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.82 NIO 1,165

$16.85 ฿569

88.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 NIO 336

$7.50 ฿253

22.27%

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

$239 NIO 8,768

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,071 NIO 222.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-46.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 NIO 2,232

$62.4 ฿2,106

-2.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.8 NIO 2,372

$28.41 ฿959

127.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NIO 4,570

$94.3 ฿3,184

32.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 NIO 5,263

$85.8 ฿2,898

67.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 NIO 14.9K

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 NIO 10.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-80.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.57

114.00%

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

Last update for Leon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$259 31.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.9% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$202 24.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 38.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$177 21.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.3% $56

Eating Out

Leon

$154 18.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$18 * 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 348% $64

Getting Around

Leon

$9.7 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 628% $61

Accommodation & Living

Leon

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Leon versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Leon versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Leon vs $266 in Phuket – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Leon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

03:28 3:28 AM

13 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,533

79,308

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leon Phuket 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,231 per month in Leon and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $820 in Leon and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Leon about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $239 per month in Leon and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.