Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $570 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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 Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pilikwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $570 in Pilikwe.

Phuket $1,278
Pilikwe $570

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $919 in Pilikwe.

Phuket $2,216
Pilikwe $919

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,268 in Pilikwe.

Phuket $3,154
Pilikwe $1,268

Living in Phuket is roughly 124% more expensive than in Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pilikwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.00 P 148

-59.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$29.41 P 397

10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.77 P 77.9

52.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.39 P 32.20

18.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.71 P 9.53

22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.44 P 5.90

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.95 P 26.28

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.51 P 33.90

46.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.47 P 19.82

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.90 P 12.16

62.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.85 P 24.90

-18.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.53 P 34.10

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.46 P 87.2

195.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.50 P 60.7

-26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.01 P 67.5

117.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.64 P 22.16

78.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.46 P 19.72

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.07 P 27.92

8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.61 P 21.68

29.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.29 P 17.36

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.20 P 16.24

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.30 P 17.47

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.91 P 12.34

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.71 P 49.98

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.43 P 59.8

324.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.44 P 19.36

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.74 P 23.41

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.61 P 8.22

395.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.51 P 33.87

-59.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.97 P 40.03

24.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.32 P 17.82

11.36%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$30.5K P 411.1K

-12.14%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$20.5K P 276.1K

30.40%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$59.5 P 802

62.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.59 P 251

-39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$43.94 P 593

-61.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.17 P 83.3

21.56%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$127 P 1,707

276.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$2,553 P 34.4K

341.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$47.29 P 638

31.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$16.73 P 226

69.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$71.2 P 960

32.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$78.5 P 1,058

9.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pilikwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pilikwe

$173 30.4% 34.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pilikwe

$122 21.4% 2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pilikwe

$96 16.9% 21.1% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pilikwe

$153 26.9% 26% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pilikwe

$12 * 2.2% 85% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3% 81.4% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $29 in Pilikwe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $173 per month, with Pilikwe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,375

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, 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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Pilikwe 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pilikwe is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $855 in Pilikwe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $127 in Pilikwe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pilikwe – a meal for two runs $29 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $570 in Pilikwe versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pilikwe but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pilikwe 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.