Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ciudad del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Este: $795 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Este
Learn more

Ciudad del Este Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Este

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $795 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Ciudad del Este $795

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,487 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Ciudad del Este $1,487

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,179 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Ciudad del Este $2,179

Phuket costs about 61% more than Ciudad del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ciudad del Este are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Ciudad del Este 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.19 ₲36.9K

-27.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.40 ₲133.6K

44.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.79 ₲34.5K

52.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.34 ₲13.9K

20.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.97 ₲5,774

-10.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.60 ₲3,598

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.06 ₲6,293

141.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.77 ₲10.5K

107.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.12 ₲6,675

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.52 ₲9,068

-3.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.26 ₲7,524

19.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 ₲13.4K

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.51 ₲56.7K

100.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.72 ₲22.2K

-11.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.16 ₲48.7K

33.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.07 ₲12.3K

41.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.26 ₲7,493

34.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.97 ₲5,778

131.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.26 ₲7,534

65.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.86 ₲5,144

75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.97 ₲5,761

42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.49 ₲2,940

118.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.45 ₲2,662

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.42 ₲8,468

195.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.05 ₲30.1K

272.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.73 ₲4,384

149.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.76 ₲10.5K

61.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.89 ₲5,321

62.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.53 ₲9,148

97.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.52 ₲9,068

-32.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.45 ₲62.4K

-64.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.27 ₲7,561

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$17.6K ₲105.3M

51.74%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$17.3K ₲103.3M

54.13%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$49.66 ₲296.2K

94.02%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.61 ₲105.0K

-36.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.77 ₲112.0K

-10.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$29.68 ₲177.1K

126.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.06 ₲83.9K

-23.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.89 ₲35.1K

27.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$187 ₲1.1M

155.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,945 ₲11.6M

479.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$63.1 ₲376.6K

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.28 ₲198.5K

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$98.2 ₲585.6K

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$56.1 ₲334.8K

52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$343 ₲2.0M

108.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$263 ₲1.6M

86.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$741 ₲4.4M

160.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$969 ₲5.8M

47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,883 ₲11.2M

121.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,380 ₲8.2M

120.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$605 ₲3.6M

-17.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.5

-46.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Este: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ciudad del Este

$263 33% 46.5% $228

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ciudad del Este

$169 21.3% 36.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ciudad del Este

$86 10.8% 30.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad del Este

$113 14.2% 7.4% $9.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ciudad del Este

$110 13.8% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ciudad del Este

$41 5.2% 49.6% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ciudad del Este

$13 * 1.6% 82% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $343 in Ciudad del Este. 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 21% higher in Ciudad del Este, 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 $32 in Phuket versus $22 in Ciudad del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $169 – making Ciudad del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇾 Ciudad del Este

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

320,782

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,656 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ciudad del Este 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,193 in Ciudad del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad del Este, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $22 in Ciudad del Este. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad del Este, where all-in costs run around $795, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Ciudad del Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad del Este – 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.