Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burbank, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,707 in Burbank, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Burbank, CA
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Burbank, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Burbank, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,707

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,707 per month in Burbank, CA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,707
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,570 per month in Burbank, CA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,570
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Burbank, CA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,432
Phuket $2,845

Burbank, CA costs about 207% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burbank, CA sits 174% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.79 $24.79

$4.40 ฿147

463.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 $76.9

$32.26 ฿1,078

138.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.71 $14.71

$8.76 ฿293

67.92%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$2.83 ฿94.5

106.01%

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

$3.64 $3.64

$0.90 ฿30.14

304.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.47 ฿15.56

472.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.55 ฿85.2

209.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.19 $10.19

$3.83 ฿128

166.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.73 ฿57.7

-24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$5.04 $5.04

$1.47 ฿49.11

242.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.51 ฿50.6

200.00%

Eggs

$5.58 $5.58

$2.17 ฿72.7

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$19.70 ฿658

-22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$3.34 ฿112

387.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 $19.86

$11.16 ฿373

77.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.85 ฿95.1

79.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.70 ฿56.9

36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.19 ฿73.3

83.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.05 ฿68.4

169.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.45 ฿48.57

133.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.38 ฿46.16

112.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.07 ฿35.69

103.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$0.51 ฿16.91

429.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$4.26 ฿142

174.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$18.58 ฿621

-20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.78 ฿59.7

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.85 ฿95.2

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.26 ฿75.6

-21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.01 ฿101

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.06 ฿35.34

70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.64 $31.64

$3.86 ฿129

719.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.45 ฿48.45

4.14%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

11.50%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.18%

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

$219 $219

$96.4 ฿3,221

127.71%

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

$76.6 $76.6

$11.04 ฿369

593.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.1 $74.1

$17.14 ฿573

332.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$130 $130

$52.2 ฿1,744

148.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$19.68 $19.68

$7.81 ฿261

151.98%

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

$1,645 $1,645

$556 ฿18.6K

195.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K $32.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

179.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

-1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.11 $47.11

$28.69 ฿959

64.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.0 ฿2,940

18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,192 $3,192

$737 ฿24.6K

333.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$462 ฿15.5K

360.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,419 $5,419

$501 ฿16.7K

982.24%

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 Burbank, 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

Burbank, CA

$2.1K 57.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 78.3% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Burbank, CA

$478 12.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 43.8% $209

Eating Out

Burbank, CA

$398 10.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 69.5% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burbank, CA

$370 10%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 66.4% $246

Sport & Entertainment

Burbank, CA

$169 4.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 59.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Burbank, CA

$143 3.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.1% $19

Getting Around

Burbank, CA

$19 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 106% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,192 in Burbank, CA 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 982% higher in Burbank, CA, 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 $77.0 in Burbank, CA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $478 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burbank, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

20:56 8:56 PM

14 h ahead of Burbank, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,340

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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Burbank, CA Phuket 13,950 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Burbank, CA costs about 207% 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 $5,561 per month in Burbank, CA 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,707 in Burbank, CA and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 207%.

Kindergarten costs $1,645 per month in Burbank, CA and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Burbank, CA at $3,707. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burbank, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $3,707 in Burbank, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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