Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,212 in Auburn, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, CA
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Auburn, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Auburn, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,212 per month in Auburn, CA vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, CA $3,212
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $4,620 per month in Auburn, CA vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, CA $4,620
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $6,027 per month in Auburn, CA vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, CA $6,027
Phuket $2,867

Auburn, CA costs about 166% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Auburn, CA sits 138% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.25 $25.25

$4.58 ฿153

451.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 $90.7

$32.48 ฿1,086

179.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$8.55 ฿286

39.42%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$2.72 ฿91.0

80.51%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$0.94 ฿31.25

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.49 ฿16.39

383.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.59 ฿86.6

87.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.83 ฿128

85.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.74 ฿58.1

-29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.43 ฿47.82

216.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.21 $8.21

$1.53 ฿51.0

436.60%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$2.17 ฿72.7

46.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.79 $25.79

$19.15 ฿640

34.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.58 $18.58

$3.30 ฿110

463.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$11.14 ฿372

106.46%

Apples (1kg)

$7.72 $7.72

$2.95 ฿98.5

161.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$2.30 ฿76.8

270.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$2.13 ฿71.3

218.31%

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.53 ฿51.1

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.36 ฿45.55

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ฿37.44

80.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.55 ฿18.24

312.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$4.26 ฿142

173.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$18.19 ฿608

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.74 ฿58.2

-16.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.79 ฿93.3

-27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.22 ฿74.1

53.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 $88.2

$22.06 ฿737

299.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.91 ฿97.3

12.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.01 ฿33.79

140.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.49 $40.49

$3.83 ฿128

957.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.49 ฿49.85

-18.12%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

23.06%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-8.29%

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

$189 $189

$99.4 ฿3,321

90.14%

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

$49.79 $49.79

$11.28 ฿377

341.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$17.36 ฿580

284.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.4 $64.4

$52.3 ฿1,747

23.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$7.57 ฿253

99.47%

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

$2,686 $2,686

$558 ฿18.7K

381.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,939 $5,939

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-48.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 $68.7

$62.9 ฿2,102

9.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 $46.74

$28.58 ฿955

63.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$96.1 ฿3,213

14.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 $199

$88.1 ฿2,943

125.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 $1,823

$729 ฿24.4K

149.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$460 ฿15.4K

245.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,784 $2,784

$2,096 ฿70.0K

32.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,222 ฿40.8K

91.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-5.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,675 $2,675

$2,489 ฿83.2K

7.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$493 ฿16.5K

696.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

5.57

21.54%

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

Last update for Auburn, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auburn, CA

$1.6K 49.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 71.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, CA

$558 17.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 52% $290

Eating Out

Auburn, CA

$355 11%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 65.8% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, CA

$305 9.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 58.1% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, CA

$191 6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 35.1% $67

Getting Around

Auburn, CA

$117 3.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 66.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, CA

$95 3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 28.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Auburn, CA versus $729 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 696% higher in Auburn, CA, 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 $91.0 in Auburn, CA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $558 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

14 h ahead of Auburn, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,143

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Auburn, CA Phuket 13,410 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, CA
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

Auburn, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,212 in Auburn, CA, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 166% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,818 per month in Auburn, CA and $1,811 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,686 per month in Auburn, CA and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Auburn, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Auburn, CA at $3,212. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Auburn, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $3,212 in Auburn, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Auburn, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.