Lima vs Phuket

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Lima, Peru
🇵🇪Peru

Lima

74Freedom Score#35Global rank$1,367Per month

The gastronomic capital of the Americas — Lima pairs world-class Miraflores dining and a Pacific cliffside lifestyle with South America's most underrated value, fast internet, and a growing creative scene.

Phuket, Thailand
🇹🇭Thailand

Phuket

92Freedom Score#3Global rank$1,450Per month

Phuket blends world-class beaches, legendary nightlife, and a growing digital nomad scene — all with near-zero tax on foreign income.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseLimaPhuket
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,367✓$1,450
Rent, 1BR city centre$774✓$950
Meal, mid-range$12$4✓
Coworking deskper month$160✓$180
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper54.041.1✓

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureLimaPhuket
Safety
52
70
Healthcare
72
70
Walkability
70
60
English spoken
42
70
Food & dining
92
80
Nightlife
78
100
Outdoors
65
88
Nomad community
62
90
Climate quality
52
85
Public transit
55
80

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureLimaPhuket
Freedom Score74/10092/100✓
Global rankof 100 cities#35#3✓
Internet100 Mbps300 Mbps✓
Average temperature66°F82°F
Air quality55/10060/100✓
Airport connectivity78/100✓70/100
Nomad visa90 days30–60 days
Headline tax rateon local income15%15%

Which should you choose?

Choose Lima if runs $83/mo cheaper, rent is $176/mo lower and it is more walkable.

Choose Phuket if internet is faster at 300 Mbps, it scores higher on safety (70 vs 52), English is more widely spoken and the climate scores better.

What each city is known for

Lima

  • Back-to-back World's 50 Best Restaurant wins — unmatched food scene
  • Fast 100 Mbps fiber and a growing Barranco/Miraflores creative hub
  • Pacific cliffside malecón living at a fraction of coastal-city prices
  • Perfect US market alignment — open at 10:30am local time

Phuket

  • 0% tax on foreign-sourced income — keep what you earn
  • LTR Visa available for remote workers & investors
  • 300 Mbps fiber widely available across the island
  • World-class beaches and Patong nightlife on your doorstep

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Lima or Phuket?
Phuket scores higher on the Freedom Score (92/100 against 74/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Lima or Phuket?
Lima is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,367 against $1,450, a difference of $83 a month or about $996 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $774/mo in Lima versus $950/mo in Phuket.
Which is safer: Lima or Phuket?
Phuket scores higher on safety, 70/100 against 52/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Lima and Phuket?
Lima averages 100 Mbps and Phuket averages 300 Mbps, so Phuket has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Lima or Phuket?
Lima sits in Peru (90 days) and Phuket in Thailand (30–60 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.