Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chesapeake, VA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,546 in Chesapeake, VA, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Chesapeake, VA
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Chesapeake, VA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chesapeake, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,546

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,546 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $2,546
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,565 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $3,565
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,585 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $4,585
Phuket $3,154

Chesapeake, VA costs about 99% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chesapeake, VA sits 87% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.28 $20.28

$4.47 ฿151

353.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 $89.6

$32.41 ฿1,092

176.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 $11.56

$8.81 ฿297

31.21%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$2.83 ฿95.2

108.83%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$0.87 ฿29.36

165.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.49 ฿16.63

330.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.56 ฿86.2

135.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 $6.60

$3.68 ฿124

79.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.66 ฿55.9

-47.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.46 ฿49.24

147.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.50 ฿50.4

108.00%

Eggs

$3.26 $3.26

$2.09 ฿70.4

55.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$19.07 ฿642

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.30 ฿111

143.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 $17.61

$10.91 ฿368

61.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.93 ฿98.7

73.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.69 ฿56.9

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.25 ฿75.7

93.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.08 ฿69.9

113.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.51 ฿50.9

89.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.38 ฿46.45

104.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.07 ฿35.90

41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.52 ฿17.48

317.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$4.20 ฿142

110.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$18.79 ฿633

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.82 ฿61.4

-6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.84 ฿95.7

-2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.45 ฿48.91

40.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 $71.1

$56.7 ฿1,909

25.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.02 ฿102

-1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.02 ฿34.28

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.85 $17.85

$3.69 ฿124

383.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.69

-33.33%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.8K ฿902.1K

2.41%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.7K ฿899.2K

-2.19%

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

$187 $187

$96.4 ฿3,246

93.74%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$11.26 ฿380

414.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$16.85 ฿568

302.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 $40.05

$67.2 ฿2,265

-40.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 $9.07

$7.50 ฿253

20.93%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$476 ฿16.0K

178.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K $18.7K

$11.3K ฿379.5K

65.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.10 $40.10

$62.4 ฿2,101

-35.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.16 $20.16

$28.41 ฿957

-29.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$94.3 ฿3,177

-19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$85.8 ฿2,891

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 $2,047

$716 ฿24.1K

186.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$491 ฿16.5K

160.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 $2,839

$1,927 ฿64.9K

47.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 $1,717

$1,431 ฿48.2K

19.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,844 $2,844

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-31.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 $2,015

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-33.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,368 $4,368

$502 ฿16.9K

769.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Chesapeake, VA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chesapeake, VA

$1.3K 50.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.7% $790

Groceries & Markets

Chesapeake, VA

$368 14.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.6% $102

Eating Out

Chesapeake, VA

$329 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chesapeake, VA

$312 12.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 60.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Chesapeake, VA

$109 4.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.3% $12

Getting Around

Chesapeake, VA

$88 3.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 20.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chesapeake, VA

$58 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 41.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,047 in Chesapeake, VA versus $716 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 in Chesapeake, VA are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Chesapeake, VA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chesapeake, VA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

16:59 4:59 PM

11 h ahead of Chesapeake, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,422

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Chesapeake, VA Phuket 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chesapeake, VA
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

Chesapeake, VA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chesapeake, VA is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,820 per month in Chesapeake, VA and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,047 in Chesapeake, VA.

Kindergarten costs $1,324 per month in Chesapeake, VA and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chesapeake, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Chesapeake, VA at $2,546. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chesapeake, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chesapeake, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.