Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $690 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cusco

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 Cusco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $690 in Cusco.

Phuket $1,278
Cusco $690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Cusco.

Phuket $2,216
Cusco $1,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,519 in Cusco.

Phuket $3,154
Cusco $1,519

Living in Phuket is roughly 85% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.01 PEN 6.95

122.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$20.14 PEN 69.5

60.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.38 PEN 22.01

38.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.17 PEN 7.48

30.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.74 PEN 2.54

17.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.33 PEN 1.12

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.79 PEN 6.18

43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.29 PEN 14.81

-14.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.29 PEN 4.46

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.33 PEN 8.03

-37.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.28 PEN 4.40

17.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.51 PEN 12.11

-40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$4.91 PEN 16.94

288.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.39 PEN 15.14

-24.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.41 PEN 25.58

47.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.67 PEN 9.23

9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.77 PEN 2.66

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.47 PEN 5.07

53.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.91 PEN 3.13

128.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.00 PEN 3.44

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.06 PEN 3.66

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.53 PEN 1.83

101.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.74 PEN 2.56

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$5.68 PEN 19.59

230.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.86 PEN 6.44

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$4.17 PEN 14.39

-31.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.28 PEN 0.95

417.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.76 PEN 6.06

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.92 PEN 6.62

-46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.88 PEN 9.93

28.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.56 PEN 5.38

-5.77%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$28.5K PEN 98.2K

-6.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$29.26 PEN 101

229.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.44 PEN 49.85

-22.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$43.40 PEN 150

-61.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$29.55 PEN 102

127.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.43 PEN 15.30

69.30%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$37.57 PEN 130

65.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$33.55 PEN 116

-15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$53.9 PEN 186

74.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$73.3 PEN 253

17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$218 PEN 754

227.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$192 PEN 664

155.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$535 PEN 1,846

260.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$426 PEN 1,469

236.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

29.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,882 PEN 6,496

61.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$430 PEN 1,484

16.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cusco

$192 27.9% 60.8% $298

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cusco

$188 27.2% 29.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 30% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 26.8% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cusco

$83 12% 31.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cusco

$38 5.6% 53.3% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 82.4% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $188 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

01:27 1:27 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

428,450

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cusco 18,790 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Phuket, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $690 in Cusco versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cusco wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.