Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, WA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,589 in Auburn, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Auburn, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,589

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Auburn, WA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, WA $2,589
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $4,092 per month in Auburn, WA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, WA $4,092
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $5,595 per month in Auburn, WA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Auburn, WA $5,595
Phuket $2,845

Auburn, WA costs about 114% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Auburn, WA sits 91% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$4.40 ฿147

347.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 $96.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

198.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 $11.71

$8.76 ฿293

33.68%

Cappuccino

$4.46 $4.46

$2.83 ฿94.5

57.60%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$0.90 ฿30.14

127.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.47 ฿15.56

327.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.55 ฿85.2

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.83 ฿128

87.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.73 ฿57.7

-48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.47 ฿49.11

74.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.51 ฿50.6

148.34%

Eggs

$3.04 $3.04

$2.17 ฿72.7

40.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 $8.58

$19.70 ฿658

-56.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 $13.75

$3.34 ฿112

311.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 $18.56

$11.16 ฿373

66.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.85 ฿95.1

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.70 ฿56.9

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.19 ฿73.3

73.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.05 ฿68.4

102.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.45 ฿48.57

114.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.38 ฿46.16

136.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.07 ฿35.69

71.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.51 ฿16.91

313.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$4.26 ฿142

153.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$18.58 ฿621

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.78 ฿59.7

-4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.85 ฿95.2

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.01 ฿101

17.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.06 ฿35.34

73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$3.86 ฿129

1201.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.45 ฿48.45

-10.34%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-2.75%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-9.00%

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

$216 $216

$96.4 ฿3,221

124.61%

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

$40.51 $40.51

$11.04 ฿369

266.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 $79.5

$17.14 ฿573

363.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.39 $34.39

$52.2 ฿1,744

-34.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 $14.77

$7.81 ฿261

89.12%

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

$1,077 $1,077

$556 ฿18.6K

93.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

44.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.82 $46.82

$28.69 ฿959

63.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$95.4 ฿3,187

-17.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 $81.3

$88.0 ฿2,940

-7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 $1,470

$737 ฿24.6K

99.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 $1,381

$462 ฿15.5K

198.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$2,095 ฿70.0K

9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,844 $2,844

$1,201 ฿40.1K

136.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,864 $6,864

$501 ฿16.7K

1270.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.57

18.31%

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

Last update for Auburn, WA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auburn, WA

$1.4K 53.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 66.5% $919

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, WA

$375 14.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 28.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, WA

$336 13%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 63% $212

Eating Out

Auburn, WA

$301 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 59.8% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, WA

$118 4.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.2% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, WA

$64 2.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 6.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Auburn, WA

$13 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 209% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Auburn, WA 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 1271% higher in Auburn, WA, 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 $96.0 in Auburn, WA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, WA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

14 h ahead of Auburn, WA

🌤 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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, WA Phuket 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, 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

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

Auburn, WA costs about 114% 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 $3,884 per month in Auburn, WA 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,589 in Auburn, WA and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 114%.

Kindergarten costs $1,077 per month in Auburn, WA and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Auburn, WA at $2,589. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Auburn, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,589 in Auburn, WA. 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, Auburn, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.