Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,651 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ilopango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,651 in Ilopango.

Phuket $1,278
Ilopango $1,651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,885 in Ilopango.

Phuket $2,216
Ilopango $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,119 in Ilopango.

Phuket $3,154
Ilopango $2,119

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ilopango is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.11 $3.11

43.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$45.31 $45.31

-28.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.05 $5.05

74.46%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.82 $2.82

0.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.87 $0.87

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.93 $0.93

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.94 $0.94

172.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.67 $1.67

120.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.17 $3.17

-47.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.43 $1.43

2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.98 $2.98

-49.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.93 $2.93

-28.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.14 $5.14

271.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.12 $6.12

-46.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.08 $10.08

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.07 $3.07

-4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.94 $1.94

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 $1.94

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.02 $2.02

2.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.05 $2.05

-26.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.99 $1.99

-30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.99 $0.99

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.02 $1.02

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.11 $4.11

2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.83 $11.83

58.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.03 $1.03

76.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 $1.96

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.92 $0.92

57.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$35.14 $35.14

61.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$7.16 $7.16

-57.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.15 $2.15

-52.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.70 $4.70

-21.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.64 $0.64

129.69%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$20.5K $20.5K

30.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$25.3K $25.3K

5.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$35.26 $35.26

173.26%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.87 $9.87

14.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$39.61 $39.61

-57.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$40.56 $40.56

65.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.92 $9.92

8.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.07 $5.07

47.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$107 $107

345.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,902 $1,902

492.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$19.99 $19.99

211.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.34 $30.34

-6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$75.6 $75.6

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$59.7 $59.7

43.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$672 $672

6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,036 $1,036

-52.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$592 $592

225.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$633 $633

125.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,748 $1,748

138.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$964 $964

215.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$991 $991

-49.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ilopango

$1K 62.8% 111% $546

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ilopango

$250 15.1% 6.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ilopango

$85 5.1% 31.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 31.5% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ilopango

$89 5.4% 26.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 38.3% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ilopango

$57 3.4% 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $672 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in Ilopango. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $250, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

00:07 12:07 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,890

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ilopango 17,480 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ilopango

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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $107 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ilopango pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,651 in Ilopango, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 – Phuket wins on affordability, Ilopango on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.