Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto De La Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto De La Libertad: $833 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto De La Libertad
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Puerto De La Libertad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto De La Libertad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto De La Libertad

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 Puerto De La Libertad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $833 in Puerto De La Libertad.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto De La Libertad $833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,335 in Puerto De La Libertad.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto De La Libertad $1,335

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,836 in Puerto De La Libertad.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto De La Libertad $1,836

Living in Phuket is roughly 53% more expensive than in Puerto De La Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Puerto De La Libertad 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.60 $6.60

-32.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$44.41 $44.41

-27.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.83 $6.83

28.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.64 $3.64

-22.25%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.12 $1.12

-22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.80 $0.80

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.96 $1.96

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.64 $3.64

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.83 $1.83

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.84 $2.84

-48.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.39 $1.39

7.91%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.96 $2.96

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$7.94 $7.94

140.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.87 $6.87

-51.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.17 $10.17

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.96 $4.96

-40.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.44 $1.44

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.69 $2.69

-16.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.48 $3.48

-40.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.95 $2.95

-48.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.22 $3.22

-57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.04 $1.04

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.97 $0.97

-46.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.90 $3.90

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.19 $12.19

54.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.19 $2.19

-16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.96 $2.96

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.96 $5.96

-49.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.97 $2.97

-65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.03 $20.03

-81.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.27 $1.27

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$24.7K $24.7K

8.46%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

-0.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$131 $131

-26.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.60 $21.60

-47.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.24 $43.24

-61.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$20.18 $20.18

233.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.93 $4.93

52.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$162 $162

193.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,758 $4,758

136.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$68.4 $68.4

-8.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$46.15 $46.15

-38.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$119 $119

-20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$117 $117

-26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.5

-34.47%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto De La Libertad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto De La Libertad

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto De La Libertad

$287 34.4% 7.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto De La Libertad

$196 23.5% 57.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto De La Libertad

$158 18.9% 29.3% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto De La Libertad

$142 17% 16.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto De La Libertad

$30 3.6% 63.5% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto De La Libertad

$21 * 2.5% 70.5% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in Puerto De La Libertad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $287 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 Puerto De La Libertad

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

16:28 4:28 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

16,855

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Puerto De La Libertad 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto De La Libertad

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 Puerto De La Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto De La Libertad is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in 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 $1,250 in Puerto De La Libertad 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 $162 in Puerto De La Libertad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Puerto De La Libertad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Puerto De La Libertad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Puerto De La Libertad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.