Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Champaign, IL vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Phuket $2,867

Champaign, IL costs about 79% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Champaign, IL sits 60% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$4.58 ฿153

232.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$8.55 ฿286

18.25%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$2.72 ฿91.0

77.57%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$0.94 ฿31.25

128.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.49 ฿16.39

253.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.59 ฿86.6

115.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.83 ฿128

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.74 ฿58.1

-51.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.43 ฿47.82

119.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.53 ฿51.0

104.58%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.17 ฿72.7

78.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$19.15 ฿640

-36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.30 ฿110

80.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$11.14 ฿372

14.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.95 ฿98.5

16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.68 ฿56.1

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.30 ฿76.8

34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.13 ฿71.3

114.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.53 ฿51.1

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.36 ฿45.55

63.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.12 ฿37.44

97.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.55 ฿18.24

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$4.26 ฿142

140.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$18.19 ฿608

-19.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.74 ฿58.2

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.79 ฿93.3

46.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.22 ฿74.1

-56.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$22.06 ฿737

-7.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.91 ฿97.3

-13.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.01 ฿33.79

57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.49 ฿49.85

-22.15%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

31.65%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

20.75%

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

$240 $240

$99.4 ฿3,321

141.44%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$11.28 ฿377

304.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$17.36 ฿580

289.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$52.3 ฿1,747

-51.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$10.85 ฿362

9.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$7.57 ฿253

46.50%

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

$993 $993

$558 ฿18.7K

77.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$62.9 ฿2,102

-22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$96.1 ฿3,213

20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$88.1 ฿2,943

38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$729 ฿24.4K

99.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$460 ฿15.4K

120.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,222 ฿40.8K

38.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-51.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-31.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$493 ฿16.5K

645.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.57

22.44%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 54.7% $556

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 63.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.4% $49

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 54.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.9% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 41.9% $20

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 11.9% $4.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Champaign, IL 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.

Salaries run about 645% higher in Champaign, IL, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

06:43 6:43 AM

12 h ahead of Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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

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Between locations

Champaign, IL Phuket 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Champaign, IL
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

Champaign, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,241 per month in Champaign, IL 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.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Champaign, IL, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL 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 $1,207, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL 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 $2,161 in Champaign, IL. 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, Champaign, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.