Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Lima $1,012
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Lima $1,589
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Lima $2,167
Phuket $2,867

Living in Lima costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$4.58 ฿153

-3.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$32.48 ฿1,086

8.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.55 ฿286

-19.42%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.72 ฿91.0

19.85%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.94 ฿31.25

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.49 ฿16.39

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.59 ฿86.6

2.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.83 ฿128

15.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.74 ฿58.1

-6.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.43 ฿47.82

79.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.53 ฿51.0

-11.76%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.17 ฿72.7

33.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$19.15 ฿640

-53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$3.30 ฿110

81.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$11.14 ฿372

-12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.95 ฿98.5

-30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.68 ฿56.1

-36.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.30 ฿76.8

-41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.13 ฿71.3

-29.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.53 ฿51.1

-42.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.36 ฿45.55

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.12 ฿37.44

-20.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.55 ฿18.24

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.26 ฿142

38.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$18.19 ฿608

-53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.74 ฿58.2

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.79 ฿93.3

15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$2.22 ฿74.1

-69.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$22.06 ฿737

21.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.91 ฿97.3

30.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.01 ฿33.79

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$3.83 ฿128

85.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.49 ฿49.85

15.44%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-16.38%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-4.52%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$99.4 ฿3,321

-26.47%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$11.28 ฿377

44.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$17.36 ฿580

58.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$52.3 ฿1,747

-38.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$10.85 ฿362

78.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.57 ฿253

-6.87%

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

$182 PEN 627

$558 ฿18.7K

-67.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

13.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$62.9 ฿2,102

-14.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$28.58 ฿955

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$96.1 ฿3,213

-13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$88.1 ฿2,943

-11.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$729 ฿24.4K

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$460 ฿15.4K

-25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-41.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-46.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-30.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-45.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$493 ฿16.5K

31.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

5.57

60.50%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 33.9% $117

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 18.4% $42

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 2.1% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 9.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 46.5% $21

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 10.6% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $268, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

21:03 9:03 PM

12 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Phuket 19,330 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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

Lima vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Phuket differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,207 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Lima, 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: $721 in Lima versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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, Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.