Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Billings, MT and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,349 in Billings, MT, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Billings, MT
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Billings, MT Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Billings, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,349

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,349 per month in Billings, MT vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Billings, MT $2,349
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,546 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Billings, MT $3,546
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,743 per month in Billings, MT vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Billings, MT $4,743
Phuket $3,154

Billings, MT costs about 84% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Billings, MT sits 73% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.68 $25.68

$4.47 ฿151

474.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

135.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 $13.63

$8.81 ฿297

54.71%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$2.83 ฿95.4

127.56%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$0.87 ฿29.42

173.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.49 ฿16.66

236.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.56 ฿86.3

61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.68 ฿124

33.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.46 ฿49.32

141.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.50 ฿50.5

118.00%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.09 ฿70.5

47.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$19.07 ฿643

-36.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 $11.56

$3.30 ฿111

250.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$10.91 ฿368

58.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.93 ฿98.9

25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.69 ฿57.0

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.25 ฿75.8

27.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.08 ฿70.1

124.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.51 ฿51.0

-25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.38 ฿46.54

45.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.07 ฿35.97

123.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.52 ฿17.51

186.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 $9.59

$4.20 ฿142

128.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 $10.91

$18.79 ฿634

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.82 ฿61.5

20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.84 ฿95.9

83.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.45 ฿49.00

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.95 $27.95

$56.7 ฿1,912

-50.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.02 ฿102

-18.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.02 ฿34.34

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$3.69 ฿125

1515.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 ฿49.78

-31.29%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

11.02%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-10.61%

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

$171 $171

$96.4 ฿3,252

77.08%

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

$49.63 $49.63

$11.26 ฿380

340.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.1 $83.1

$16.85 ฿569

393.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 $41.40

$67.2 ฿2,269

-38.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 $15.25

$10.73 ฿362

42.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 $13.89

$7.50 ฿253

85.20%

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

$1,074 $1,074

$476 ฿16.1K

125.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

72.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$62.4 ฿2,105

-2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 $66.3

$28.41 ฿959

133.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 $96.7

$94.3 ฿3,182

2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$85.8 ฿2,896

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 $1,183

$716 ฿24.2K

65.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 $1,049

$491 ฿16.6K

113.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$1,431 ฿48.3K

28.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 $2,472

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-40.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-31.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$502 ฿17.0K

681.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.57

14.90%

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

Last update for Billings, MT: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Billings, MT

$1K 44.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.2% $558

Eating Out

Billings, MT

$370 15.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 67.1% $249

Groceries & Markets

Billings, MT

$357 15.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Billings, MT

$303 12.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 59% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Billings, MT

$156 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Billings, MT

$69 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 18.8% $13

Getting Around

Billings, MT

$45 1.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 56.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,183 in Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Billings, MT versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Billings, MT

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

14 h ahead of Billings, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,116

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Billings, MT Phuket 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Billings, MT
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

Billings, MT vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Billings, MT costs about 84% 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 $3,524 per month in Billings, MT 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 $1,183 in Billings, MT.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Billings, MT. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,074 per month in Billings, MT and $476 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 $1,278, than in Billings, MT at $2,349. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Billings, MT 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Billings, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.