Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Phuket $2,867

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 81% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abilene, TX is 62% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$4.58 ฿153

294.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$32.48 ฿1,086

98.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$8.55 ฿286

6.78%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.72 ฿91.0

101.10%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$0.94 ฿31.25

153.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.49 ฿16.39

279.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.59 ฿86.6

91.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.83 ฿128

51.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.74 ฿58.1

-40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.43 ฿47.82

62.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.53 ฿51.0

267.97%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.17 ฿72.7

71.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$19.15 ฿640

-56.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$3.30 ฿110

294.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$11.14 ฿372

26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.95 ฿98.5

14.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.68 ฿56.1

-42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.30 ฿76.8

103.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.13 ฿71.3

148.83%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.53 ฿51.1

175.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.36 ฿45.55

158.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.55 ฿18.24

256.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.26 ฿142

37.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$18.19 ฿608

-37.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.74 ฿58.2

46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.79 ฿93.3

47.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.22 ฿74.1

-22.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$22.06 ฿737

141.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$3.83 ฿128

287.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.49 ฿49.85

-42.28%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-28.36%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-8.42%

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

$236 $236

$99.4 ฿3,321

137.83%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$11.28 ฿377

420.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$17.36 ฿580

252.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$52.3 ฿1,747

-61.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$7.57 ฿253

58.78%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$62.9 ฿2,102

-33.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$28.58 ฿955

-30.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$96.1 ฿3,213

-34.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$88.1 ฿2,943

-25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$729 ฿24.4K

59.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$460 ฿15.4K

113.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,222 ฿40.8K

30.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-51.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-31.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$493 ฿16.5K

565.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 53.1% $521

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 27.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64.1% $228

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 58.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 44.8% $38

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 35.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 52.6% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 566% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

12 h ahead of Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Abilene, TX Phuket 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Abilene, TX vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Phuket differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 566% higher in Abilene, TX, 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: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 142% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. 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.

Safety-wise, Abilene, TX and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.