Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
La Merced $1,263

Phuket costs about 132% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, La Merced 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.38 PEN 15.10

0.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$34.86 PEN 120

-7.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.01 PEN 24.19

24.11%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.18 PEN 10.97

-14.47%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.08 PEN 3.72

-13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.65 PEN 2.24

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.57 PEN 8.86

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.29 PEN 14.81

-15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.58 PEN 5.44

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.07 PEN 7.15

-29.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.28 PEN 4.43

17.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.35 PEN 8.11

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$7.33 PEN 25.29

160.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.78 PEN 19.94

-41.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.68 PEN 29.94

25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$0.92 PEN 3.17

219.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.45 PEN 1.56

275.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$0.30 PEN 1.04

630.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.71 PEN 2.46

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.28 PEN 0.96

421.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.45 PEN 1.55

204.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.60 PEN 2.07

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.87 PEN 3.01

-36.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.63 PEN 19.42

-21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$7.33 PEN 25.30

148.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.90 PEN 6.56

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.08 PEN 10.61

-6.49%

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

$3.43 PEN 11.84

-55.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.07 PEN 7.14

-62.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.64 PEN 26.37

-49.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.64 PEN 5.65

-9.15%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

23.59%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

-8.96%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$66.7 PEN 230

46.75%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.80 PEN 54.5

-28.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$27.06 PEN 93.4

-36.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.14 PEN 24.63

4.06%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$318 PEN 1,096

66.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

48.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$53.3 PEN 184

15.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$35.12 PEN 121

-19.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$83.7 PEN 289

14.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$79.1 PEN 273

9.76%

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

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 30.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 13.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 7.9% $9.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

La Merced

$123 22% 2.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 82.8% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 79.1% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $35 in La Merced. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $185 in La Merced – so La Merced wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket La Merced 19,530 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 132% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $558 in La Merced. That makes La Merced about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $318 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Phuket at $1,294. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.