Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, WA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,779 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,779 in Arlington, WA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Arlington, WA $2,779
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,295 in Arlington, WA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Arlington, WA $4,295
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,810 in Arlington, WA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Arlington, WA $5,810
Phuket $3,154

Living in Arlington, WA is roughly 117% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arlington, WA is 104% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.91 $24.91

$4.47 ฿151

457.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

203.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 $13.96

$8.81 ฿297

58.46%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$2.83 ฿95.4

108.48%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$0.87 ฿29.42

239.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.49 ฿16.66

520.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.56 ฿86.3

170.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.68 ฿124

88.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.66 ฿56.0

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.46 ฿49.32

153.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.50 ฿50.5

177.33%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$2.09 ฿70.5

89.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.96 $13.96

$19.07 ฿643

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$3.30 ฿111

292.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 $22.69

$10.91 ฿368

107.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.93 ฿98.9

73.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.69 ฿57.0

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.25 ฿75.8

86.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.08 ฿70.1

126.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.51 ฿51.0

33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.38 ฿46.54

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.07 ฿35.97

150.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.52 ฿17.51

359.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 $12.08

$4.20 ฿142

187.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$18.79 ฿634

-19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.82 ฿61.5

13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.84 ฿95.9

53.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.02 ฿102

-12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.02 ฿34.34

61.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.89 $29.89

$3.69 ฿125

710.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.47 ฿49.78

-4.08%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

3.10%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-0.82%

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

$294 $294

$96.4 ฿3,252

205.60%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$11.26 ฿380

502.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.9 $86.9

$16.85 ฿569

415.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.47 $32.47

$67.2 ฿2,269

-51.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$7.50 ฿253

135.73%

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

$2,749 $2,749

$476 ฿16.1K

477.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

177.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$62.4 ฿2,105

-19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$28.41 ฿959

96.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$94.3 ฿3,182

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$85.8 ฿2,896

57.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$716 ฿24.2K

112.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$491 ฿16.6K

161.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,805 $2,805

$1,927 ฿65.0K

45.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$1,431 ฿48.3K

76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,787 $5,787

$502 ฿17.0K

1052.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Arlington, WA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.7% $791

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, WA

$449 16.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 72.3% $325

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, WA

$431 15.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38.2% $165

Eating Out

Arlington, WA

$384 13.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 68.3% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, WA

$155 5.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, WA

$68 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 548% $60

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 $1,519 in Arlington, WA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Arlington, WA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

15 h ahead of Arlington, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, WA Phuket 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,779 in Arlington, WA and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Arlington, WA is about 12 times higher, 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: $1,519 in Arlington, WA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,779 per month in Arlington, WA versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,779 in Arlington, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Arlington, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.