Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aguilares

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $806 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
Learn more

Aguilares Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aguilares

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Aguilares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $806 in Aguilares.

Phuket $1,190
Aguilares $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,292 in Aguilares.

Phuket $2,006
Aguilares $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,777 in Aguilares.

Phuket $2,822
Aguilares $1,777

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Aguilares 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$6.90 $6.90

-36.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$44.21 $44.21

-26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$6.90 $6.90

22.03%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.70 $3.70

-24.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.15 $1.15

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.79 $0.79

-41.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.96 $1.96

32.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.58 $3.58

1.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.85 $1.85

-7.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.77 $2.77

-47.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.37 $1.37

13.87%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.12 $3.12

-32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$7.51 $7.51

160.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.78 $6.78

-49.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$10.37 $10.37

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$5.11 $5.11

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.47 $1.47

10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.94 $2.94

-24.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$3.52 $3.52

-38.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$2.96 $2.96

-49.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$3.34 $3.34

-60.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.97 $0.97

10.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.96 $0.96

-46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.96 $3.96

10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$11.79 $11.79

59.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.27 $2.27

-23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.89 $2.89

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$5.90 $5.90

-48.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$2.96 $2.96

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$19.87 $19.87

-81.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.20 $1.20

19.17%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$25.2K $25.2K

4.54%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$26.9K $26.9K

-2.44%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$128 $128

-24.71%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$21.01 $21.01

-45.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$41.77 $41.77

-59.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.10 $5.10

50.00%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$160 $160

245.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$4,767 $4,767

136.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$66.4 $66.4

-4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$46.24 $46.24

-38.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$116 $116

-16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$117 $117

-24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.5

-34.47%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Aguilares

$287 35.5% 7.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Aguilares

$191 23.6% 52.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Aguilares

$156 19.2% 24.8% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Aguilares

$145 17.9% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3% 85% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 47.3% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $44.00 in Aguilares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $287 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,445

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Aguilares 17,450 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aguilares

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

Phuket vs Aguilares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Phuket and $1,209 in Aguilares to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $160 in Aguilares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aguilares – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $806 in Aguilares versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguilares but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Aguilares the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguilares delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguilares hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Aguilares 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 Aguilares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.