Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baton Rouge, LA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,240 in Baton Rouge, LA, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Baton Rouge, LA
Learn more

Baton Rouge, LA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Baton Rouge, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,240

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,240 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Baton Rouge, LA $2,240
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,302 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Baton Rouge, LA $3,302
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,364 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Baton Rouge, LA $4,364
Phuket $3,154

Living in Baton Rouge, LA is roughly 75% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baton Rouge, LA is 65% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.95 $14.95

$4.47 ฿151

234.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

159.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.01 $12.01

$8.81 ฿297

36.32%

Cappuccino

$6.15 $6.15

$2.83 ฿95.4

117.31%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$0.87 ฿29.42

151.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 $1.36

$0.49 ฿16.66

177.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.56 ฿86.3

111.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 $7.63

$3.68 ฿124

107.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.66 ฿56.0

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.46 ฿49.32

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.50 ฿50.5

58.00%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.09 ฿70.5

41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$19.07 ฿643

-32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$3.30 ฿111

336.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.32 $23.32

$10.91 ฿368

113.75%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.93 ฿98.9

146.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.69 ฿57.0

76.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.25 ฿75.8

176.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.08 ฿70.1

109.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.51 ฿51.0

140.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.38 ฿46.54

91.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.07 ฿35.97

112.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.52 ฿17.51

236.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.20 $9.20

$4.20 ฿142

119.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 $18.65

$18.79 ฿634

-0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.84 ฿95.9

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.45 ฿49.00

22.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 $56.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

-1.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.02 ฿102

31.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.02 ฿34.34

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 $60.9

$3.69 ฿125

1549.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.47 ฿49.78

-36.73%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

4.06%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

1.01%

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

$138 $138

$96.4 ฿3,252

43.69%

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

$44.40 $44.40

$11.26 ฿380

294.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$16.85 ฿569

313.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.87 $47.87

$67.2 ฿2,269

-28.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 $10.18

$10.73 ฿362

-5.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$7.50 ฿253

58.00%

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

$1,909 $1,909

$476 ฿16.1K

301.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K $10.0K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-10.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.18 $33.18

$62.4 ฿2,105

-46.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.39 $42.39

$28.41 ฿959

49.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 $86.5

$94.3 ฿3,182

-8.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 $72.2

$85.8 ฿2,896

-15.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$716 ฿24.2K

192.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 $1,010

$491 ฿16.6K

105.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,927 ฿65.0K

32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$1,431 ฿48.3K

5.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,761 $1,761

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-57.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 $1,619

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-46.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,366 $3,366

$502 ฿17.0K

570.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.57

13.46%

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

Last update for Baton Rouge, LA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baton Rouge, LA

$1K 45.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.4% $519

Groceries & Markets

Baton Rouge, LA

$442 19.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 39.7% $175

Eating Out

Baton Rouge, LA

$286 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57.4% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baton Rouge, LA

$252 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.7% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Baton Rouge, LA

$105 4.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.6% $16

Getting Around

Baton Rouge, LA

$73 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3.9% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Baton Rouge, LA

$72 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,096 in Baton Rouge, LA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baton Rouge, LA pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Baton Rouge, LA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $442 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baton Rouge, LA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

19:13 7:13 PM

13 h ahead of Baton Rouge, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,493

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baton Rouge, LA Phuket 15,630 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Baton Rouge, LA
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

Baton Rouge, LA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,240 in Baton Rouge, LA and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Baton Rouge, LA is about 6.7 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: $2,096 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,909 in Baton Rouge, LA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $84 in Baton Rouge, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,240 in Baton Rouge, LA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Baton Rouge, LA. 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, Baton Rouge, LA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.