Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloomington, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,280 in Bloomington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bloomington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,280

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,280 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $2,280
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,272 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $3,272
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,264 per month in Bloomington, IL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Bloomington, IL $4,264
Phuket $3,154

Bloomington, IL costs about 78% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bloomington, IL sits 68% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$4.47 ฿151

306.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 $78.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

141.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 $12.20

$8.81 ฿297

38.48%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$2.83 ฿95.4

75.97%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$0.87 ฿29.42

171.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.49 ฿16.66

242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.56 ฿86.3

118.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.68 ฿124

87.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.66 ฿56.0

-34.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.46 ฿49.32

67.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.50 ฿50.5

190.00%

Eggs

$3.62 $3.62

$2.09 ฿70.5

73.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$19.07 ฿643

-31.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$3.30 ฿111

138.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 $17.51

$10.91 ฿368

60.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.93 ฿98.9

25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.69 ฿57.0

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.25 ฿75.8

142.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.08 ฿70.1

66.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.51 ฿51.0

125.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.38 ฿46.54

99.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.07 ฿35.97

150.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.52 ฿17.51

421.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.20 ฿142

92.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$18.79 ฿634

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.84 ฿95.9

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.45 ฿49.00

-12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.17 $40.17

$56.7 ฿1,912

-29.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.02 ฿102

13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.02 ฿34.34

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.42 $39.42

$3.69 ฿125

968.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 ฿49.78

-30.61%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

3.39%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-3.35%

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

$203 $203

$96.4 ฿3,252

111.20%

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

$70.9 $70.9

$11.26 ฿380

529.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.5 $75.5

$16.85 ฿569

347.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.79 $44.79

$67.2 ฿2,269

-33.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$7.50 ฿253

31.07%

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

$1,429 $1,429

$476 ฿16.1K

200.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

113.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$62.4 ฿2,105

-6.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.48 $39.48

$28.41 ฿959

38.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$94.3 ฿3,182

-11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$85.8 ฿2,896

37.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 $905

$716 ฿24.2K

26.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 $1,004

$491 ฿16.6K

104.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 $1,456

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 $1,461

$1,431 ฿48.3K

2.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,572 $1,572

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-62.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,257 $1,257

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-58.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,622 $4,622

$502 ฿17.0K

820.28%

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 Bloomington, 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

Bloomington, IL

$1K 44%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.1% $513

Groceries & Markets

Bloomington, IL

$371 16.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloomington, IL

$350 15.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.4% $225

Eating Out

Bloomington, IL

$300 13.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.4% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Bloomington, IL

$135 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bloomington, IL

$64 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 27.6% $18

Getting Around

Bloomington, IL

$56 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 25.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Bloomington, 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 Bloomington, IL are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Bloomington, 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

🇺🇸 Bloomington, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

13 h ahead of Bloomington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,247

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 →

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Bloomington, IL Phuket 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Bloomington, IL
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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

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

Bloomington, IL costs about 78% 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 $3,421 per month in Bloomington, 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 $905 in Bloomington, IL.

Kindergarten costs $1,429 per month in Bloomington, IL and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Bloomington, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bloomington, IL at $2,280. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bloomington, 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bloomington, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.