Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belleville, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,249 in Belleville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Belleville, IL, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Belleville, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,249
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,249 per month in Belleville, IL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Belleville, IL $2,249
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,369 per month in Belleville, IL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Belleville, IL $3,369
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,489 per month in Belleville, IL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Belleville, IL $4,489
  • Phuket $3,154

Belleville, IL costs about 76% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belleville, IL sits 65% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.71 $17.71
$4.47 ฿151
296.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.0 $69.0
$32.41 ฿1,094
112.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.33 $9.33
$8.81 ฿297
5.90%
Cappuccino
$4.48 $4.48
$2.83 ฿95.5
58.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.87 ฿29.43
136.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$0.49 ฿16.67
257.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.55 $4.55
$2.56 ฿86.4
77.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 $5.97
$3.68 ฿124
62.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.66 ฿56.0
-38.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 $2.33
$1.46 ฿49.35
59.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.77 $3.77
$1.50 ฿50.6
151.33%
Eggs
$3.97 $3.97
$2.09 ฿70.5
89.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.27 $12.27
$19.07 ฿644
-35.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.24 $15.24
$3.30 ฿111
361.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.64 $12.64
$10.91 ฿368
15.86%
Apples (1kg)
$5.83 $5.83
$2.93 ฿99.0
98.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.69 ฿57.1
4.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 $3.37
$2.25 ฿75.8
49.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.51 $3.51
$2.08 ฿70.1
68.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.51 ฿51.0
44.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.38 ฿46.56
47.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.07 ฿35.99
48.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 $1.87
$0.52 ฿17.52
259.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.21 $12.21
$4.20 ฿142
190.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.94 $14.94
$18.79 ฿634
-20.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.07 $2.07
$1.82 ฿61.5
13.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 $2.74
$2.84 ฿95.9
-3.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.45 ฿49.03
-32.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.6 $78.6
$56.7 ฿1,913
38.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 $3.45
$3.02 ฿102
14.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 $2.46
$1.02 ฿34.36
141.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.39 $17.39
$3.69 ฿125
371.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.96 $0.96
$1.47 ฿49.81
-34.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K $28.8K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
7.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-1.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$241 $241
$96.4 ฿3,254
150.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.8 $69.8
$11.26 ฿380
519.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.8 $65.8
$16.85 ฿569
290.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.06 $31.06
$67.2 ฿2,270
-53.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.60 $29.60
$10.73 ฿362
175.86%
Cinema Ticket
$14.06 $14.06
$7.50 ฿253
87.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,040 $1,040
$476 ฿16.1K
118.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K $12.8K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
13.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 $55.6
$62.4 ฿2,106
-10.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.16 $32.16
$28.41 ฿959
13.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.9 $86.9
$94.3 ฿3,184
-7.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$85.8 ฿2,898
19.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 $1,202
$716 ฿24.2K
67.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$945 $945
$491 ฿16.6K
92.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 $1,990
$1,927 ฿65.1K
3.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,667 $1,667
$1,431 ฿48.3K
16.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,141 $2,141
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-48.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,753 $1,753
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-42.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belleville, IL
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,255 $6,255
$502 ฿17.0K
1145.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.72
5.57
20.65%

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

Last update for Belleville, IL: 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
Belleville, IL
$945
Phuket
$491 48% $454
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belleville, IL
$377
Phuket
$124 67% $253
Groceries & Markets
Belleville, IL
$371
Phuket
$266 28.3% $105
Eating Out
Belleville, IL
$273
Phuket
$122 55.5% $152
Clothing & Footwear
Belleville, IL
$125
Phuket
$122 2.4% $3
Getting Around
Belleville, IL
$98
Phuket
$71 28.2% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Belleville, IL
$59
Phuket
$82 38.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,202 in Belleville, 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 Belleville, IL are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Belleville, IL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Belleville, IL
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
13:03 1:03 PM
01:03 1:03 AM
12 h ahead of Belleville, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,404
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belleville, IL Phuket 14,780 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Belleville, 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
Belleville, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Belleville, IL or Phuket?
Belleville, IL costs about 76% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Belleville, IL and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,373 per month in Belleville, IL and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Belleville, IL or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,202 in Belleville, IL.
How do childcare costs compare in Belleville, IL and in Phuket?
Kindergarten costs $1,040 per month in Belleville, IL and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Belleville, IL or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 39% more in Belleville, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Belleville, IL or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Belleville, IL at $2,249. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belleville, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
How safe is Belleville, IL compared to Phuket?
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.
Should I move to Belleville, IL or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belleville, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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