Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Cerro de Pasco, Peru
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Cerro de Pasco
🇵🇪 Peru
$548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $548 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Cerro de Pasco $548

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Phuket costs about 136% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$2.98 PEN 10.27
47.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,086
$28.85 PEN 99.5
11.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$6.77 PEN 23.37
28.51%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.6
$1.99 PEN 6.87
36.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.28
$0.75 PEN 2.58
24.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.79
$0.45 PEN 1.56
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.1
$2.66 PEN 9.17
-4.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$4.31 PEN 14.86
-15.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$1.54 PEN 5.33
12.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.77
$2.36 PEN 8.13
-38.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.25 PEN 4.31
20.00%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$2.38 PEN 8.22
-8.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿642
$9.08 PEN 31.33
110.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.71 PEN 19.71
-40.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$8.33 PEN 28.73
30.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.9
$2.04 PEN 7.03
44.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$0.74 PEN 2.56
128.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.8
$0.45 PEN 1.56
386.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$1.14 PEN 3.94
85.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.03
$0.75 PEN 2.58
94.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.99
$0.50 PEN 1.74
174.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.17
$0.90 PEN 3.11
20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.34
$0.89 PEN 3.06
-38.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$5.69 PEN 19.63
-22.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿614
$7.43 PEN 25.63
145.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.6
$1.91 PEN 6.60
-7.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$2.67 PEN 9.21
7.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.66
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,845
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$3.44 PEN 11.87
-56.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.08
$2.01 PEN 6.94
-61.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$7.69 PEN 26.52
-50.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.0
$1.72 PEN 5.92
-13.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿903.7K
$21.9K PEN 75.5K
22.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿885.7K
$29.0K PEN 100.2K
-9.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,288
$67.5 PEN 233
44.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿380
$15.47 PEN 53.4
-27.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿578
$26.37 PEN 91.0
-34.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,297
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$7.04 PEN 24.28
5.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$308 PEN 1,063
72.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿631.4K
$13.0K PEN 44.9K
44.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,073
$53.1 PEN 183
16.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿950
$35.10 PEN 121
-19.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,228
$83.6 PEN 288
14.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,919
$78.9 PEN 272
10.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.6K
$412 PEN 1,421
373.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Cerro de Pasco
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$470 PEN 1,620
4.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.78
-36.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Cerro de Pasco
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Cerro de Pasco
$204 23.6% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Cerro de Pasco
$109 13.4% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Cerro de Pasco
$113 8.1% $9.9
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Cerro de Pasco
$95 20.7% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Cerro de Pasco
$14 * 83.1% $69
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Cerro de Pasco
$14 * 79.6% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 5% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $29 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $204 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco
🕒 Local time
06:35 6:35 AM
18:35 6:35 PM
12 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
58,899
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Cerro de Pasco 19,350 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cerro de Pasco cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $822 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Cerro de Pasco?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $29 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Cerro de Pasco?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Cerro de Pasco?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $548, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Cerro de Pasco?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $548 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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