Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,622 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Salvador

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,622 in San Salvador.

Phuket $1,294
San Salvador $1,622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,452 in San Salvador.

Phuket $2,204
San Salvador $2,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,283 in San Salvador.

Phuket $3,115
San Salvador $3,283

Living in Phuket costs roughly 20% less than in San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, San Salvador is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.70 $6.70

-34.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$45.70 $45.70

-29.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.87 $6.87

26.64%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$3.53 $3.53

-22.95%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$1.12 $1.12

-16.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.80 $0.80

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$1.95 $1.95

29.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.63 $3.63

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.81 $1.81

-3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$2.84 $2.84

-48.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.37 $1.37

9.49%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$3.09 $3.09

-29.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$7.52 $7.52

153.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.02 $7.02

-51.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$10.45 $10.45

4.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$4.99 $4.99

-41.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.41 $1.41

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$2.57 $2.57

-14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$3.51 $3.51

-39.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$2.86 $2.86

-48.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$3.30 $3.30

-58.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$0.95 $0.95

13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.92 $0.92

-40.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.05 $4.05

9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$12.07 $12.07

51.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$2.28 $2.28

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$2.87 $2.87

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$0.29 $0.29

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$15.05 $15.05

264.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$5.85 $5.85

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$2.93 $2.93

-73.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$20.22 $20.22

-81.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$1.31 $1.31

13.74%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$24.7K $24.7K

8.61%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$27.7K $27.7K

-4.85%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$130 $130

-24.85%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$21.09 $21.09

-46.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$41.77 $41.77

-58.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$29.78 $29.78

129.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

$21.91 $21.91

-50.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$4.87 $4.87

52.57%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$161 $161

229.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$6,704 $6,704

180.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$68.0 $68.0

-9.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$46.36 $46.36

-39.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$120 $120

-20.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$118 $118

-26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$910 $910

-20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$767 $767

-33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$1,835 $1,835

6.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$1,370 $1,370

1.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$2,817 $2,817

48.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$1,855 $1,855

77.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$380 $380

29.40%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Salvador

$767 47.3% 50.8% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Salvador

$286 17.6% 7.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Salvador

$193 11.9% 52.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Salvador

$158 9.8% 29.1% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Salvador

$141 8.7% 18.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Salvador

$40 2.4% 52.5% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Salvador

$37 2.3% 44.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $910 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 29% 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 $46 in San Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $286 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

10:49 10:49 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket San Salvador 17,470 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Salvador

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 San Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $910 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $161 in San Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in San Salvador. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,622 in San Salvador, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.