Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Phuket

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,622

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Salvador 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 San Salvador and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

San Salvador $1,622
Phuket $1,294

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

San Salvador $2,452
Phuket $2,204

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

San Salvador $3,283
Phuket $3,115

Living in San Salvador is roughly 25% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.70 $6.70

$4.39 ฿147

52.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 $45.70

$32.31 ฿1,083

41.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 $6.87

$8.70 ฿292

-21.03%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$2.72 ฿91.3

29.78%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$0.93 ฿31.20

20.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.50 ฿16.75

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.53 ฿84.9

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.63 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.74 ฿58.3

4.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.45 ฿48.64

95.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.50 ฿50.4

-8.67%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.17 ฿72.8

42.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$19.09 ฿640

-60.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$3.40 ฿114

106.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$10.90 ฿365

-4.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.94 ฿98.6

69.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.69 ฿56.7

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.19 ฿73.6

17.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.12 ฿71.2

65.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.46 ฿48.90

95.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.37 ฿45.87

140.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.08 ฿36.07

-12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.55 ฿18.29

67.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.43 ฿148

-8.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.07 $12.07

$18.25 ฿612

-33.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.77 ฿59.4

28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.88 ฿96.6

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.45 ฿48.53

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.05 $15.05

$54.9 ฿1,840

-72.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.51 ฿50.7

287.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.78 ฿26.01

275.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.22 $20.22

$3.84 ฿129

426.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.49 ฿49.87

-12.08%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$26.9K ฿901.3K

-7.93%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.3K ฿883.4K

5.10%

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

$130 $130

$97.8 ฿3,280

33.07%

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

$21.09 $21.09

$11.29 ฿379

86.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.77 $41.77

$17.19 ฿576

142.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.78 $29.78

$68.3 ฿2,291

-56.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.91 $21.91

$10.92 ฿366

100.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 $4.87

$7.43 ฿249

-34.45%

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

$161 $161

$530 ฿17.8K

-69.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,704 $6,704

$18.8K ฿629.7K

-64.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 $68.0

$61.7 ฿2,068

10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 $46.36

$28.25 ฿947

64.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$96.0 ฿3,219

25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$86.8 ฿2,911

35.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 $910

$721 ฿24.2K

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 $767

$509 ฿17.1K

50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$1,950 ฿65.4K

-5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 $1,370

$1,397 ฿46.8K

-1.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

$4,192 ฿140.6K

-32.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 $1,855

$3,298 ฿110.6K

-43.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$380 $380

$492 ฿16.5K

-22.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for San Salvador: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$767 47.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 33.7% $259

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$286 17.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 6.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$193 11.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 34.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.8%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 22.6% $36

Eating Out

San Salvador

$141 8.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$40 2.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 111% $44

Getting Around

San Salvador

$37 2.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 80% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in San Salvador and $721 in Phuket. 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: $46 in San Salvador vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

02:38 2:38 AM

13 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

San Salvador
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

San Salvador vs Phuket: 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.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in San Salvador. 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: $910 in San Salvador versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $161 in San Salvador versus $530 in Phuket. 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.