Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,582 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,582
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $5,415 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,415
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,249
Phuket $2,845

Arlington, VA costs about 196% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arlington, VA sits 164% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.99 $23.99

$4.40 ฿147

445.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$32.26 ฿1,078

212.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 $10.93

$8.76 ฿293

24.77%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

104.24%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$0.90 ฿30.14

231.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.47 ฿15.56

417.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$2.55 ฿85.2

219.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$3.83 ฿128

130.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.73 ฿57.7

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.47 ฿49.11

198.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.51 ฿50.6

245.03%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.17 ฿72.7

133.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 $21.53

$19.70 ฿658

9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$3.34 ฿112

369.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 $22.56

$11.16 ฿373

102.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.85 ฿95.1

95.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.70 ฿56.9

10.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.19 ฿73.3

108.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.05 ฿68.4

180.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.45 ฿48.57

124.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.38 ฿46.16

171.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.07 ฿35.69

111.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.51 ฿16.91

378.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$4.26 ฿142

128.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 $17.20

$18.58 ฿621

-7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.78 ฿59.7

58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.85 ฿95.2

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.26 ฿75.6

21.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$22.10 ฿738

446.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.01 ฿101

30.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.06 ฿35.34

14.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$3.86 ฿129

545.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.45 ฿48.45

-27.59%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

10.78%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-4.70%

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

$162 $162

$96.4 ฿3,221

67.79%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$11.04 ฿369

366.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$17.14 ฿573

259.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 $71.4

$52.2 ฿1,744

36.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 $19.14

$11.16 ฿373

71.51%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 $16.58

$7.81 ฿261

112.29%

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

$1,572 $1,572

$556 ฿18.6K

182.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

206.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$28.69 ฿959

116.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$88.0 ฿2,940

84.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$737 ฿24.6K

232.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$462 ฿15.5K

334.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,832 $4,832

$2,095 ฿70.0K

130.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,600 $3,600

$1,201 ฿40.1K

199.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,750 $5,750

$3,488 ฿116.6K

64.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,742 $4,742

$2,523 ฿84.3K

87.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,973 $6,973

$501 ฿16.7K

1292.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: 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

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 77% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 46.7% $236

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 67.6% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 54.7% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28% $48

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$142 4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 72.2% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 35.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,452 in Arlington, VA versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1293% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

11 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Arlington, VA Phuket 14,790 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
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

Arlington, VA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 196% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,373 per month in Arlington, VA and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Arlington, VA at $3,582. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $3,582 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.