Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,774 in Aurora, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Aurora, IL
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Aurora, IL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Aurora, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,774 per month in Aurora, IL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Aurora, IL $2,774
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Aurora, IL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Aurora, IL $3,792
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,810 per month in Aurora, IL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Aurora, IL $4,810
Phuket $3,154

Aurora, IL costs about 117% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aurora, IL sits 104% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.22 $14.22

$4.47 ฿151

218.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

83.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$8.81 ฿297

33.71%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.83 ฿95.5

90.81%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$0.87 ฿29.43

232.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.49 ฿16.67

363.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.56 ฿86.4

89.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.68 ฿124

113.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.66 ฿56.0

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.46 ฿49.35

141.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.50 ฿50.6

187.33%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$2.09 ฿70.5

74.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 $8.92

$19.07 ฿644

-53.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$3.30 ฿111

248.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$10.91 ฿368

48.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.93 ฿99.0

57.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.69 ฿57.1

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

65.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.08 ฿70.1

52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.51 ฿51.0

25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.38 ฿46.56

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 ฿35.99

66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.52 ฿17.52

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.56 $10.56

$4.20 ฿142

151.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$18.79 ฿634

-27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.82 ฿61.5

26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.45 ฿49.03

56.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 $96.8

$56.7 ฿1,913

70.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.02 ฿102

33.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.02 ฿34.36

94.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.86 $43.86

$3.69 ฿125

1088.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 ฿49.81

-25.85%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

1.30%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-2.65%

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

$174 $174

$96.4 ฿3,254

80.58%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$11.26 ฿380

357.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 $55.2

$16.85 ฿569

227.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 $17.52

$67.2 ฿2,270

-73.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$7.50 ฿253

62.53%

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

$1,470 $1,470

$476 ฿16.1K

208.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

109.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$62.4 ฿2,106

-9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$28.41 ฿959

80.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$94.3 ฿3,184

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 $80.6

$85.8 ฿2,898

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$716 ฿24.2K

122.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$491 ฿16.6K

221.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,856 $2,856

$1,927 ฿65.1K

48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$1,431 ฿48.3K

54.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,141 $5,141

$4,175 ฿141.0K

23.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,361 $2,361

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-22.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,880 $3,880

$502 ฿17.0K

672.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Aurora, IL: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, IL

$1.6K 56.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, IL

$356 12.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, IL

$281 10.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 55.7% $156

Eating Out

Aurora, IL

$274 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, IL

$125 4.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.2% $2.8

Getting Around

Aurora, IL

$120 4.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 41.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, IL

$42 1.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 96.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,594 in Aurora, IL 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 Aurora, IL are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Aurora, IL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

12 h ahead of Aurora, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aurora, IL Phuket 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Aurora, IL
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

Aurora, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aurora, IL costs about 117% 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 $4,161 per month in Aurora, IL 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 $1,594 in Aurora, IL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Aurora, IL and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,774 in Aurora, IL and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 117%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Aurora, IL at $2,774. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aurora, IL 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, Aurora, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.