Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Piura

For one person, living is cheaper in Piura: $701 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Piura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $701 in Piura.

Phuket $1,278
Piura $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,199 in Piura.

Phuket $2,216
Piura $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,696 in Piura.

Phuket $3,154
Piura $1,696

Living in Phuket is roughly 82% more expensive than in Piura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Piura 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.60 PEN 12.42

24.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.96 PEN 82.6

35.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.27 PEN 25.06

21.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.30 PEN 11.38

-14.24%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.05 PEN 3.62

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.76 PEN 2.62

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.35 PEN 8.11

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.92 PEN 10.08

26.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.41 PEN 4.87

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.55 PEN 8.80

-42.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.58 PEN 5.46

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.80 PEN 9.66

-25.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.37 PEN 35.75

83.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.31 PEN 28.67

-60.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.39 PEN 35.83

5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.41 PEN 4.87

107.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.33 PEN 4.58

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.48 PEN 5.10

52.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.35 PEN 4.64

54.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.23 PEN 4.25

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.72 PEN 2.47

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.89 PEN 3.08

20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.92 PEN 27.29

-46.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.13 PEN 38.37

68.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.81 PEN 6.24

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.82 PEN 9.74

0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.66 PEN 2.28

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$20.22 PEN 69.7

180.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.96 PEN 10.20

2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.31 PEN 7.95

-55.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.21 PEN 24.86

-48.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.42 PEN 4.91

3.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.0K PEN 76.0K

21.55%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

14.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$40.54 PEN 140

137.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.57 PEN 29.54

31.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$28.76 PEN 99.2

133.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.33 PEN 8.04

221.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$199 PEN 686

139.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,280 PEN 7,862

393.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$42.70 PEN 147

46.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$12.94 PEN 44.61

119.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$58.2 PEN 201

61.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$73.9 PEN 255

16.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$229 PEN 790

212.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$131 PEN 453

273.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$397 PEN 1,367

385.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$400 PEN 1,378

257.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

9.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$538 PEN 1,856

-6.69%

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 Piura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Piura

$131 18.7% 73.3% $360

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Piura

$250 35.7% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Piura

$49 * 7% 60.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Piura

$84 12.1% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Piura

$115 16.4% 5.4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Piura

$33 4.8% 59.4% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Piura

$37 5.3% 47.1% $33

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 $229 in Piura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piura pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Piura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $250 per month, with Piura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇪 Piura

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

158,495

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Piura 19,700 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Piura

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 Piura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piura is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and transport. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $229 in Piura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $199 in Piura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $701 in Piura versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Piura but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Piura 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.

Expats usually find Piura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.