Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ames, IA $2,142
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ames, IA $3,242
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ames, IA $4,342
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ames, IA is 59% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$4.58 ฿153

295.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$32.48 ฿1,086

60.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.55 ฿286

42.46%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$2.72 ฿91.0

79.04%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$0.94 ฿31.25

176.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.49 ฿16.39

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.59 ฿86.6

56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.83 ฿128

77.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.74 ฿58.1

-48.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.43 ฿47.82

148.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.53 ฿51.0

113.07%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$2.17 ฿72.7

53.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$19.15 ฿640

-47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$3.30 ฿110

312.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$11.14 ฿372

71.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.95 ฿98.5

99.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.68 ฿56.1

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.30 ฿76.8

190.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.13 ฿71.3

145.07%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.53 ฿51.1

196.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.36 ฿45.55

199.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.12 ฿37.44

107.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.55 ฿18.24

343.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$4.26 ฿142

205.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$18.19 ฿608

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.74 ฿58.2

64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.79 ฿93.3

78.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.22 ฿74.1

-55.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$22.06 ฿737

61.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.91 ฿97.3

74.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.01 ฿33.79

67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$3.83 ฿128

530.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.49 ฿49.85

-35.57%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-7.29%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-6.13%

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

$176 $176

$99.4 ฿3,321

77.42%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$11.28 ฿377

381.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$17.36 ฿580

309.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$52.3 ฿1,747

31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$10.85 ฿362

81.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$7.57 ฿253

110.96%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$558 ฿18.7K

145.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

214.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$62.9 ฿2,102

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$28.58 ฿955

56.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$96.1 ฿3,213

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.1 ฿2,943

18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$729 ฿24.4K

37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$460 ฿15.4K

78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,222 ฿40.8K

23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-29.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-12.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$493 ฿16.5K

629.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

5.57

15.08%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 44.1% $362

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38.7% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 57.6% $174

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 58.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 33.2% $34

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 26.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 630% 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: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

23:56 11:56 PM

12 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Ames, IA Phuket 14,330 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 630% higher in Ames, IA, 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: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 61% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ames, IA 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 77% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.