Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $996 in Lima.

Phuket $1,190
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,594 in Lima.

Phuket $2,006
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $2,191 in Lima.

Phuket $2,822
Lima $2,191

Living in Phuket is roughly 19% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$4.42 PEN 15.21

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,091

$35.04 PEN 121

-7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿283

$6.84 PEN 23.52

23.10%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.4

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-14.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.10 PEN 3.80

-20.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.46

$0.65 PEN 2.23

-29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$2.58 PEN 8.88

0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿123

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-18.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.4

$1.59 PEN 5.48

7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-43.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$1.36 PEN 4.67

14.71%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.6

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿656

$9.10 PEN 31.30

114.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.81 PEN 19.98

-41.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿375

$9.83 PEN 33.80

13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.01 PEN 6.92

40.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.08 PEN 3.70

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.8

$1.37 PEN 4.71

62.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.2

$1.48 PEN 5.08

45.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.96 PEN 3.32

55.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.59

$0.85 PEN 2.93

56.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.87

$0.88 PEN 3.03

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.08

$0.87 PEN 2.98

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿631

$8.81 PEN 30.31

113.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.3

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-13.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.9

$0.68 PEN 2.33

219.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿749

$26.74 PEN 92.0

-16.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.57

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿125

$7.14 PEN 24.57

-48.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.08

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-13.33%

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

$26.3K ฿885.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

18.81%

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

$26.2K ฿881.0K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

2.09%

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

$96.7 ฿3,250

$73.0 PEN 251

32.34%

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

$11.41 ฿384

$16.26 PEN 55.9

-29.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿575

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-38.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,775

$33.07 PEN 114

59.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿372

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-43.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿257

$7.39 PEN 25.41

3.52%

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

$555 ฿18.7K

$182 PEN 626

204.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.3K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-15.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,132

$52.6 PEN 181

20.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿962

$34.23 PEN 118

-16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,252

$83.8 PEN 288

15.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,979

$79.0 PEN 272

12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.7K

$723 PEN 2,488

1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.4K

$340 PEN 1,170

34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.7K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

77.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.9K

$635 PEN 2,183

87.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿117.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

42.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.8K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

81.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$653 PEN 2,245

-23.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.94

-37.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Lima

$340 33.6% 25.7% $118

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Lima

$226 22.4% 15.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 6.6% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 10% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 29.7% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 10.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lima 19,330 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Lima differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Lima. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.