Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aliso Viejo, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
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Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043
Phuket $2,845

Living in Aliso Viejo, CA is roughly 228% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aliso Viejo, CA is 193% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 $24.73

$4.40 ฿147

462.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

205.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 $14.32

$8.76 ฿293

63.47%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$2.83 ฿94.5

108.83%

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

$3.51 $3.51

$0.90 ฿30.14

290.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.47 ฿15.56

495.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$2.55 ฿85.2

222.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$3.83 ฿128

159.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.73 ฿57.7

-33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.47 ฿49.11

224.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.51 ฿50.6

212.58%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$2.17 ฿72.7

134.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$19.70 ฿658

-42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$3.34 ฿112

381.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$11.16 ฿373

58.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.85 ฿95.1

92.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.70 ฿56.9

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.19 ฿73.3

113.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$2.05 ฿68.4

222.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.45 ฿48.57

148.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.38 ฿46.16

103.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.07 ฿35.69

105.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.51 ฿16.91

376.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$4.26 ฿142

179.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$18.58 ฿621

-17.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.78 ฿59.7

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.85 ฿95.2

9.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.26 ฿75.6

35.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.01 ฿101

48.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.06 ฿35.34

80.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 $32.04

$3.86 ฿129

730.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.45 ฿48.45

9.66%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

32.90%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

0.27%

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

$212 $212

$96.4 ฿3,221

119.79%

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

$71.5 $71.5

$11.04 ฿369

547.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$17.14 ฿573

315.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 $38.84

$52.2 ฿1,744

-25.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 $17.19

$7.81 ฿261

120.10%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$556 ฿18.6K

205.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

174.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$64.2 ฿2,146

12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 $65.1

$28.69 ฿959

126.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$95.4 ฿3,187

21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$88.0 ฿2,940

92.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 $2,908

$737 ฿24.6K

294.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 $2,466

$462 ฿15.5K

433.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,191 $4,191

$2,095 ฿70.0K

100.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,201 ฿40.1K

286.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,007 $7,007

$3,488 ฿116.6K

100.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,500 $6,500

$2,523 ฿84.3K

157.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,985 $7,985

$501 ฿16.7K

1494.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

5.57

23.16%

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

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 81.3% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 41.1% $187

Eating Out

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10%

Phuket

$121 10% 69.5% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.9% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.4% $5.4

Getting Around

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 49.8% $13

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 $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 1495% 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: $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

14 h ahead of Aliso Viejo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,489

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Aliso Viejo, CA Phuket 14,030 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Aliso Viejo, CA
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

Aliso Viejo, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aliso Viejo, CA and Phuket differ by about 228% in total monthly costs ($3,964 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1495% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA, 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: $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,964 per month in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 228% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Aliso Viejo, CA. 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, Aliso Viejo, CA 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 228% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.