Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Ames, IA is 74.4% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 66% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Ames, IA is 47.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 29.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.04 $18.04

$4.65 ฿147

287.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.45 $44.45

$46.11 ฿1,460

-3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.27 $9.27

$8.74 ฿277

6.06%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.04 ฿96.2

64.80%

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

$1.99 $1.99

$0.72 ฿22.80

176.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.39 ฿12.38

358.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.44 ฿77.2

23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.79 ฿120

79.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.14 ฿67.9

-55.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.86 ฿58.9

102.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.19 ฿69.2

39.27%

Eggs

$3.23 $3.23

$2.25 ฿71.1

43.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$19.73 ฿625

-52.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$3.79 ฿120

211.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 $14.53

$13.55 ฿429

7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.25 ฿103

54.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.67 ฿52.9

-28.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.39 ฿75.7

147.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.09 ฿66.2

141.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.53 ฿48.39

145.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.51 ฿47.79

141.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.99 ฿31.30

107.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.51 ฿16.30

276.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$4.27 ฿135

116.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.21 $16.21

$20.31 ฿643

-20.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.79 ฿56.7

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.77 ฿87.6

63.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.40 ฿44.44

9.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.13 $47.13

$11.70 ฿370

302.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.11 ฿98.4

58.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.99 ฿31.48

43.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.24 $49.24

$13.73 ฿435

258.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.32 ฿41.75

-37.88%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$27.2K ฿862.0K

-9.78%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-24.78%

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

$192 $192

$120 ฿3,811

59.13%

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

$49.44 $49.44

$13.93 ฿441

254.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$18.31 ฿579

302.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 $68.5

$60.9 ฿1,928

12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.04 $20.04

$17.23 ฿545

16.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$8.71 ฿276

58.32%

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

$1,451 $1,451

$698 ฿22.1K

107.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K $30.5K

$15.7K ฿498.0K

93.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.73 $38.73

$57.6 ฿1,824

-32.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.64 $42.64

$34.24 ฿1,084

24.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$113 ฿3,582

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$84.8 ฿2,684

32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 $969

$604 ฿19.1K

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$436 ฿13.8K

86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 $1,908

$2,057 ฿65.1K

-7.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$1,498 ฿47.4K

9.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,421 $2,421

$4,252 ฿134.6K

-43.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$2,988 ฿94.6K

-26.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,699 $3,699

$529 ฿16.7K

598.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

5.33

12.95%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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