Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ann Arbor, MI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Ann Arbor, MI
Learn more

Ann Arbor, MI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,750

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Ann Arbor, MI $2,750
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,198 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Ann Arbor, MI $4,198
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,646 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Ann Arbor, MI $5,646
Phuket $2,845

Living in Ann Arbor, MI is roughly 128% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ann Arbor, MI is 103% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.66 $18.66

$4.40 ฿147

324.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 $59.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

83.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$8.76 ฿293

34.25%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$2.83 ฿94.5

83.04%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$0.90 ฿30.14

222.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.47 ฿15.56

344.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$2.55 ฿85.2

153.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.83 ฿128

112.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.73 ฿57.7

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.47 ฿49.11

160.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.51 ฿50.6

223.18%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

76.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$19.70 ฿658

-1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$3.34 ฿112

290.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$11.16 ฿373

33.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.85 ฿95.1

142.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.70 ฿56.9

9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.19 ฿73.3

73.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.05 ฿68.4

119.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.45 ฿48.57

64.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.38 ฿46.16

106.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.07 ฿35.69

135.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.51 ฿16.91

296.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$4.26 ฿142

142.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.09 $15.09

$18.58 ฿621

-18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.78 ฿59.7

22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.85 ฿95.2

32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.26 ฿75.6

-21.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.62 $45.62

$22.10 ฿738

106.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.01 ฿101

-2.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.06 ฿35.34

42.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 $26.09

$3.86 ฿129

575.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.90%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

12.44%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-2.72%

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

$201 $201

$96.4 ฿3,221

108.52%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$11.04 ฿369

433.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 $73.0

$17.14 ฿573

326.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 $63.2

$52.2 ฿1,744

21.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 $19.46

$11.16 ฿373

74.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$7.81 ฿261

69.27%

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

$1,999 $1,999

$556 ฿18.6K

259.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

69.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 $44.52

$28.69 ฿959

55.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$95.4 ฿3,187

18.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$88.0 ฿2,940

20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$737 ฿24.6K

181.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 $1,375

$462 ฿15.5K

197.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,811 $3,811

$2,095 ฿70.0K

81.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 $2,692

$1,201 ฿40.1K

124.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,516 $5,516

$3,488 ฿116.6K

58.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,597 $2,597

$2,523 ฿84.3K

2.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,148 $5,148

$501 ฿16.7K

928.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Ann Arbor, MI: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ann Arbor, MI

$1.4K 50%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 66.4% $913

Groceries & Markets

Ann Arbor, MI

$430 15.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 37.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ann Arbor, MI

$333 12.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 62.6% $208

Eating Out

Ann Arbor, MI

$315 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 61.6% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Ann Arbor, MI

$144 5.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ann Arbor, MI

$90 3.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 24.4% $22

Getting Around

Ann Arbor, MI

$63 2.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 37.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ann Arbor, MI pays 928% 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: $59.0 in Ann Arbor, MI vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, MI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

11 h ahead of Ann Arbor, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,851

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ann Arbor, MI Phuket 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ann Arbor, MI
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

Ann Arbor, MI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ann Arbor, MI and Phuket differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($2,750 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 928% higher in Ann Arbor, MI, 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: $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $737 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 $59.0 in Ann Arbor, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,750 per month in Ann Arbor, MI versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ann Arbor, MI. 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, Ann Arbor, MI 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 128% less than in Ann Arbor, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.