Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
Learn more

Brea, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Brea, CA $3,716
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Brea, CA $5,124
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Brea, CA $6,532
Phuket $2,845

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 208% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brea, CA is 174% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$4.40 ฿147

472.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$32.26 ฿1,078

143.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.76 ฿293

39.04%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$2.83 ฿94.5

97.53%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$0.90 ฿30.14

198.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.47 ฿15.56

321.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.55 ฿85.2

187.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$3.83 ฿128

147.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.73 ฿57.7

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.47 ฿49.11

259.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.51 ฿50.6

192.05%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$2.17 ฿72.7

123.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$19.70 ฿658

-21.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$3.34 ฿112

165.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$11.16 ฿373

24.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.85 ฿95.1

63.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.70 ฿56.9

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.19 ฿73.3

96.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.05 ฿68.4

181.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.45 ฿48.57

148.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.38 ฿46.16

122.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.07 ฿35.69

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.51 ฿16.91

327.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$4.26 ฿142

180.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$18.58 ฿621

-18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 ฿59.7

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.85 ฿95.2

12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.01 ฿101

52.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.06 ฿35.34

70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$3.86 ฿129

839.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.45 ฿48.45

8.28%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.53%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.43%

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

$218 $218

$96.4 ฿3,221

126.00%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$11.04 ฿369

541.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$17.14 ฿573

303.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$52.2 ฿1,744

-42.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$11.16 ฿373

79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$7.81 ฿261

155.83%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$556 ฿18.6K

109.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

269.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

-3.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$28.69 ฿959

43.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$95.4 ฿3,187

-15.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.0 ฿2,940

18.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$737 ฿24.6K

203.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$462 ฿15.5K

409.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$2,095 ฿70.0K

49.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$1,201 ฿40.1K

193.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$3,488 ฿116.6K

68.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$2,523 ฿84.3K

144.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$501 ฿16.7K

1885.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Brea, CA: 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

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 80.4% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 34.7% $143

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 68% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 65.2% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 190% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Brea, CA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 1885% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

14 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brea, CA Phuket 14,000 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Brea, CA
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

Brea, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 208% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1885% higher in Brea, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, CA versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brea, CA and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.