Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boulder, CO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,518 in Boulder, CO, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Boulder, CO
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Boulder, CO Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Boulder, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,518

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,518 per month in Boulder, CO vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Boulder, CO $3,518
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $5,103 per month in Boulder, CO vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Boulder, CO $5,103
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $6,689 per month in Boulder, CO vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Boulder, CO $6,689
Phuket $2,845

Boulder, CO costs about 191% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Boulder, CO sits 160% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$4.40 ฿147

350.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

145.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 $15.07

$8.76 ฿293

72.03%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$2.83 ฿94.5

96.47%

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

$3.70 $3.70

$0.90 ฿30.14

311.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.47 ฿15.56

512.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.55 ฿85.2

178.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$3.83 ฿128

130.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.73 ฿57.7

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.47 ฿49.11

277.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.51 ฿50.6

330.46%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$2.17 ฿72.7

154.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 $11.85

$19.70 ฿658

-39.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$3.34 ฿112

226.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$11.16 ฿373

55.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.85 ฿95.1

108.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 ฿56.9

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.19 ฿73.3

189.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.05 ฿68.4

197.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.45 ฿48.57

170.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.38 ฿46.16

178.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.07 ฿35.69

213.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.51 ฿16.91

419.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$4.26 ฿142

140.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.23 $17.23

$18.58 ฿621

-7.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.78 ฿59.7

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.85 ฿95.2

73.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.26 ฿75.6

24.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 $152

$22.10 ฿738

587.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.01 ฿101

-19.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.06 ฿35.34

30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 $24.21

$3.86 ฿129

527.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.45 ฿48.45

-25.52%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

4.36%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-0.19%

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

$279 $279

$96.4 ฿3,221

189.50%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$11.04 ฿369

553.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$17.14 ฿573

332.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.1 $83.1

$52.2 ฿1,744

59.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.21 $20.21

$11.16 ฿373

81.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.72 $16.72

$7.81 ฿261

114.08%

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

$1,633 $1,633

$556 ฿18.6K

193.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

169.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 $69.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

7.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 $48.21

$28.69 ฿959

68.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 $92.2

$95.4 ฿3,187

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$88.0 ฿2,940

63.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,374 $2,374

$737 ฿24.6K

222.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 $1,825

$462 ฿15.5K

294.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,307 $4,307

$2,095 ฿70.0K

105.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,069 $3,069

$1,201 ฿40.1K

155.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,420 $4,420

$3,488 ฿116.6K

26.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,495 $4,495

$2,523 ฿84.3K

78.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,629 $5,629

$501 ฿16.7K

1024.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Boulder, CO: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boulder, CO

$1.8K 51.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 74.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Boulder, CO

$470 13.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 42.8% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boulder, CO

$425 12.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 70.7% $301

Eating Out

Boulder, CO

$350 10%

Phuket

$121 10% 65.4% $229

Getting Around

Boulder, CO

$173 4.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 77.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Boulder, CO

$159 4.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Boulder, CO

$117 3.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 41.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,374 in Boulder, CO versus $737 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 run about 1024% higher in Boulder, CO, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Boulder, CO versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boulder, CO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

08:23 8:23 AM

13 h ahead of Boulder, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,803

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Boulder, CO Phuket 14,150 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Boulder, CO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Boulder, CO is pricier by about 191%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,277 per month in Boulder, CO and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Boulder, CO, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Boulder, CO and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Boulder, CO at $3,518. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Boulder, CO 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 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.

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