Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brentwood, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,609
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

  • Brentwood, CA $2,609
  • Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

  • Brentwood, CA $4,005
  • Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

  • Brentwood, CA $5,401
  • Phuket $2,845

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 116% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brentwood, CA is 93% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.11 $25.11
$4.40 ฿147
470.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$112 $112
$32.26 ฿1,078
245.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.08 $15.08
$8.76 ฿293
72.15%
Cappuccino
$5.59 $5.59
$2.83 ฿94.5
97.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 $3.06
$0.90 ฿30.14
240.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$0.47 ฿15.56
427.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.91 $8.91
$2.55 ฿85.2
249.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.78 $7.78
$3.83 ฿128
103.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.73 ฿57.7
-27.17%
White Bread (500g)
$4.33 $4.33
$1.47 ฿49.11
194.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.75 $4.75
$1.51 ฿50.6
214.57%
Eggs
$5.42 $5.42
$2.17 ฿72.7
149.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.69 $24.69
$19.70 ฿658
25.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.72 $11.72
$3.34 ฿112
250.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.17 $13.17
$11.16 ฿373
18.01%
Apples (1kg)
$5.41 $5.41
$2.85 ฿95.1
89.82%
Banana (1kg)
$3.06 $3.06
$1.70 ฿56.9
80.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.72 $4.72
$2.19 ฿73.3
115.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 $5.89
$2.05 ฿68.4
187.32%
Potato (1kg)
$3.30 $3.30
$1.45 ฿48.57
127.59%
Onion (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.38 ฿46.16
179.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.07 ฿35.69
176.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.70 $2.70
$0.51 ฿16.91
429.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.68 $11.68
$4.26 ฿142
174.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.08 $13.08
$18.58 ฿621
-29.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$1.78 ฿59.7
21.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$2.85 ฿95.2
-10.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$2.26 ฿75.6
-14.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.10 ฿738
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.94 $3.94
$3.01 ฿101
30.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.06 ฿35.34
60.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.36 $32.36
$3.86 ฿129
738.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 $1.54
$1.45 ฿48.45
6.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K $27.7K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
5.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
1.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 $137
$96.4 ฿3,221
42.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.77 $39.77
$11.04 ฿369
260.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.2 $62.2
$17.14 ฿573
263.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.88 $39.88
$52.2 ฿1,744
-23.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.16 ฿373
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.89 $17.89
$7.81 ฿261
129.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,330 $2,330
$556 ฿18.6K
319.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K $23.9K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
105.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.1 $52.1
$64.2 ฿2,146
-18.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.73 $39.73
$28.69 ฿959
38.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 $76.2
$95.4 ฿3,187
-20.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.0 $59.0
$88.0 ฿2,940
-32.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,791 $1,791
$737 ฿24.6K
142.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 $1,309
$462 ฿15.5K
183.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,551 $2,551
$2,095 ฿70.0K
21.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,270 $2,270
$1,201 ฿40.1K
89.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,730 $2,730
$3,488 ฿116.6K
-21.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,181 $2,181
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-13.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brentwood, CA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,395 $6,395
$501 ฿16.7K
1177.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
5.57
20.11%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brentwood, CA
$1.3K
Phuket
$462 64.7% $847
Groceries & Markets
Brentwood, CA
$466
Phuket
$269 42.4% $198
Eating Out
Brentwood, CA
$395
Phuket
$121 69.3% $274
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brentwood, CA
$239
Phuket
$125 47.9% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Brentwood, CA
$102
Phuket
$124 21.7% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Brentwood, CA
$76
Phuket
$68 10.4% $7.9
Getting Around
Brentwood, CA
$20 *
Phuket
$39 95% $19

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 1177% 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: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:37 12:37 AM
14:37 2:37 PM
14 h ahead of Brentwood, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
64,474
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brentwood, CA Phuket 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brentwood, 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
Brentwood, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Brentwood, CA and in Phuket?
Brentwood, CA and Phuket differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Brentwood, CA or Phuket?
Average pay runs 1177% higher in Brentwood, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Brentwood, CA and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Brentwood, CA or Phuket?
All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Brentwood, CA and Phuket?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Brentwood, CA or Phuket safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Brentwood, 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.
Where should expats move: Brentwood, CA or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Brentwood, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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