Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pilikwe and Phuket

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.

Pilikwe, Botswana
Phuket, Thailand
Pilikwe
🇧🇼 Botswana
$570
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pilikwe and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pilikwe and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

  • Pilikwe $570
  • Phuket $1,278

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

  • Pilikwe $919
  • Phuket $2,216

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

  • Pilikwe $1,268
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Pilikwe costs roughly 55% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.00 P 148
$4.47 ฿151
146.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.41 P 397
$32.41 ฿1,094
-9.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.77 P 77.9
$8.81 ฿297
-34.51%
Cappuccino
$2.39 P 32.20
$2.83 ฿95.5
-15.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 P 9.53
$0.87 ฿29.43
-18.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 P 5.90
$0.49 ฿16.67
-10.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 P 26.28
$2.56 ฿86.4
-23.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 P 33.90
$3.68 ฿124
-31.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 P 19.82
$1.66 ฿56.0
-11.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 P 12.16
$1.46 ฿49.35
-38.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 P 24.90
$1.50 ฿50.6
23.33%
Eggs
$2.53 P 34.10
$2.09 ฿70.5
21.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.46 P 87.2
$19.07 ฿644
-66.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.50 P 60.7
$3.30 ฿111
36.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.01 P 67.5
$10.91 ฿368
-54.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.64 P 22.16
$2.93 ฿99.0
-44.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 P 19.72
$1.69 ฿57.1
-13.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.07 P 27.92
$2.25 ฿75.8
-8.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 P 21.68
$2.08 ฿70.1
-22.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 P 17.36
$1.51 ฿51.0
-14.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 P 16.24
$1.38 ฿46.56
-13.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 P 17.47
$1.07 ฿35.99
21.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 P 12.34
$0.52 ฿17.52
75.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 P 49.98
$4.20 ฿142
-11.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.43 P 59.8
$18.79 ฿634
-76.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 P 19.36
$1.82 ฿61.5
-20.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 P 23.41
$2.84 ฿95.9
-38.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.61 P 8.22
$3.02 ฿102
-79.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.51 P 33.87
$1.02 ฿34.36
146.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.97 P 40.03
$3.69 ฿125
-19.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 P 17.82
$1.47 ฿49.81
-10.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K P 411.1K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
13.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K P 276.1K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-23.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.5 P 802
$96.4 ฿3,254
-38.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.59 P 251
$11.26 ฿380
65.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.94 P 593
$16.85 ฿569
160.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.17 P 83.3
$7.50 ฿253
-17.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$127 P 1,707
$476 ฿16.1K
-73.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,553 P 34.4K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-77.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.29 P 638
$62.4 ฿2,106
-24.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.73 P 226
$28.41 ฿959
-41.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.2 P 960
$94.3 ฿3,184
-24.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 P 1,058
$85.8 ฿2,898
-8.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pilikwe
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
5.57
103.41%

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

Last update for Pilikwe: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Pilikwe
$173
Phuket
$266 53.6% $93
Eating Out
Pilikwe
$153
Phuket
$122 20.6% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pilikwe
$122
Phuket
$124 2% $2.5
Clothing & Footwear
Pilikwe
$96
Phuket
$122 26.8% $26
Getting Around
Pilikwe
$13 *
Phuket
$71 436% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Pilikwe
$12 *
Phuket
$82 566% $70
Accommodation & Living
Pilikwe
- *
Phuket
$491

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know
🇧🇼 Pilikwe
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:50 11:50 PM
04:50 4:50 AM
5 h ahead of Pilikwe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,375
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pilikwe Phuket 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pilikwe
  • Phuket

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
Pilikwe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pilikwe cheaper than Phuket?
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.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $855 in Pilikwe and $1,917 in Phuket 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $127 in Pilikwe versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Pilikwe or in Phuket?
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.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Pilikwe or in Phuket?
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.
Is it better to live in Pilikwe or in Phuket?
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.

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