Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aspen, CO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $5,133 in Aspen, CO, rent and utilities included – about $46,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

248

Cost of Living Index in Aspen, CO
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Aspen, CO Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aspen, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$5,133

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,133 per month in Aspen, CO vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Aspen, CO $5,133
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $7,501 per month in Aspen, CO vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Aspen, CO $7,501
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $9,870 per month in Aspen, CO vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Aspen, CO $9,870
Phuket $3,154

Aspen, CO costs about 302% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aspen, CO sits 277% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$4.47 ฿151

348.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$32.41 ฿1,094

144.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$8.81 ฿297

24.74%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$2.83 ฿95.5

105.65%

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

$3.52 $3.52

$0.87 ฿29.43

304.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.49 ฿16.67

502.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.56 ฿86.4

168.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.68 ฿124

118.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.66 ฿56.0

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.46 ฿49.35

264.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

328.00%

Eggs

$5.75 $5.75

$2.09 ฿70.5

175.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$19.07 ฿644

-38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 $10.86

$3.30 ฿111

229.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$10.91 ฿368

59.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.93 ฿99.0

94.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.25 ฿75.8

173.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.08 ฿70.1

201.44%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.51 ฿51.0

175.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.38 ฿46.56

175.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.07 ฿35.99

224.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.52 ฿17.52

430.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 $10.41

$4.20 ฿142

147.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.18 $17.18

$18.79 ฿634

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.84 ฿95.9

74.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 $89.3

$56.7 ฿1,913

57.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.02 ฿102

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.02 ฿34.36

40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$3.69 ฿125

553.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 ฿49.81

-31.29%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

5.74%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-0.72%

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

$151 $151

$96.4 ฿3,254

57.08%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$11.26 ฿380

529.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$16.85 ฿569

345.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$137 $137

$67.2 ฿2,270

103.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 $16.17

$7.50 ฿253

115.60%

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

$1,907 $1,907

$476 ฿16.1K

300.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K $30.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

167.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$62.4 ฿2,106

12.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.73 $48.73

$28.41 ฿959

71.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 $90.3

$94.3 ฿3,184

-4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$85.8 ฿2,898

69.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,013 $4,013

$716 ฿24.2K

460.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,599 $3,599

$491 ฿16.6K

633.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,964 $7,964

$1,927 ฿65.1K

313.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,465 $6,465

$1,431 ฿48.3K

351.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

154.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,609 $7,609

$3,045 ฿102.8K

149.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,994 $4,994

$502 ฿17.0K

894.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Aspen, CO: 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

Aspen, CO

$3.6K 70.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 86.4% $3.1K

Groceries & Markets

Aspen, CO

$469 9.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 43.2% $203

Eating Out

Aspen, CO

$340 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.2% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aspen, CO

$297 5.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 58.1% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Aspen, CO

$169 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 51.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Aspen, CO

$160 3.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.6% $38

Getting Around

Aspen, CO

$99 * 1.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 28.7% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,013 in Aspen, CO versus $716 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 in Aspen, CO are about 9.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Aspen, CO versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $469 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aspen, CO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

21:02 9:02 PM

13 h ahead of Aspen, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Aspen, CO Phuket 14,170 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Aspen, CO
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

Aspen, CO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aspen, CO costs about 302% 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 $7,699 per month in Aspen, CO and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $4,013 in Aspen, CO.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Aspen, CO, 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 $79 in Aspen, CO and $32 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 $1,278, than in Aspen, CO at $5,133. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aspen, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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