Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Branson, MO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,056 in Branson, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Branson, MO
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Branson, MO Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Branson, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,056

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,056 per month in Branson, MO vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,056
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,975 per month in Branson, MO vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,975
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,895 per month in Branson, MO vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Branson, MO $3,895
Phuket $2,867

Branson, MO costs about 70% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Branson, MO sits 52% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.17 $20.17

$4.58 ฿153

340.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$32.48 ฿1,086

87.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 $10.59

$8.55 ฿286

23.86%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$2.72 ฿91.0

84.56%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$0.94 ฿31.25

55.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.49 ฿16.39

97.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.83 ฿128

31.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.74 ฿58.1

-30.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.43 ฿47.82

136.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.53 ฿51.0

101.31%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.17 ฿72.7

90.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$19.15 ฿640

-58.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$3.30 ฿110

174.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$11.14 ฿372

23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.95 ฿98.5

49.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.68 ฿56.1

-5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.30 ฿76.8

-1.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.13 ฿71.3

167.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.53 ฿51.1

39.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.36 ฿45.55

59.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.55 ฿18.24

274.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.26 ฿142

60.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 $13.06

$18.19 ฿608

-28.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.74 ฿58.2

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.79 ฿93.3

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.22 ฿74.1

-7.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.91 ฿97.3

-15.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.01 ฿33.79

19.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$3.83 ฿128

1483.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.49 ฿49.85

-31.54%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

31.67%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-8.82%

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

$106 $106

$99.4 ฿3,321

7.00%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$11.28 ฿377

475.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 $71.8

$17.36 ฿580

313.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.22 $44.22

$52.3 ฿1,747

-15.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.88 $11.88

$10.85 ฿362

9.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$7.57 ฿253

97.09%

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

$798 $798

$558 ฿18.7K

43.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

85.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.55 $30.55

$62.9 ฿2,102

-51.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.14 $43.14

$28.58 ฿955

50.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 $74.4

$96.1 ฿3,213

-22.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$88.1 ฿2,943

67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 $1,056

$729 ฿24.4K

44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$460 ฿15.4K

108.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 $1,664

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-20.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 $1,414

$1,222 ฿40.8K

15.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.57

17.77%

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

Last update for Branson, MO: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Branson, MO

$958 46.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 52% $498

Groceries & Markets

Branson, MO

$338 16.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.7% $70

Eating Out

Branson, MO

$293 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 58.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Branson, MO

$243 11.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 47.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Branson, MO

$133 6.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Branson, MO

$74 3.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 9% $6.6

Getting Around

Branson, MO

$17 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 132% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Branson, MO versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Branson, MO versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Branson, MO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

12 h ahead of Branson, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,746

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Branson, MO Phuket 14,920 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Branson, MO
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

Branson, MO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,056 in Branson, MO, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,083 per month in Branson, MO and $1,811 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Branson, MO and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Branson, MO, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Branson, MO at $2,056. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Branson, MO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $2,056 in Branson, MO. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Branson, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.