Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 85.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 143.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 87.6% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 89.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.82 $20.82
$4.68 ฿151
344.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$46.4 ฿1,502
116.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.97 $11.97
$8.65 ฿280
38.38%
Cappuccino
$5.56 $5.56
$3.09 ฿100
79.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$0.73 ฿23.53
326.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$0.37 ฿11.95
554.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.86 $6.86
$2.39 ฿77.4
187.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$3.62 ฿117
133.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$2.24 ฿72.5
-53.57%
White Bread (500g)
$4.15 $4.15
$1.8 ฿58.2
130.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.52 $5.52
$2.24 ฿72.3
146.43%
Eggs
$4.65 $4.65
$2.23 ฿72.1
108.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.33 $14.33
$19.31 ฿625
-25.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.88 $14.88
$3.77 ฿122
294.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.34 $19.34
$13.05 ฿422
48.20%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$3.28 ฿106
57.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.63 ฿52.6
4.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.41 $4.41
$2.4 ฿77.7
83.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$1.99 ฿64.3
126.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.53 ฿49.62
65.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.49 ฿48.11
83.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.02 ฿32.87
138.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 $2.7
$0.48 ฿15.61
462.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.19 $15.19
$4.32 ฿140
251.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.42 $16.42
$21.68 ฿702
-24.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.77 ฿57.3
32.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 $3.7
$2.79 ฿90.4
32.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.35 ฿43.74
87.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 $74.1
$11.76 ฿380
530.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.34 $3.34
$3.15 ฿102
6.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 $1.42
$1 ฿32.3
42.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.42 $25.42
$13.64 ฿442
86.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.3 ฿42.2
-16.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K $32.4K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
18.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-22.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 $188
$123 ฿3,970
53.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.7 $63.7
$13.93 ฿451
357.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$18.24 ฿590
257.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.7 $76.7
$60.8 ฿1,966
26.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.03 $13.03
$17.11 ฿554
-23.85%
Cinema Ticket
$14.93 $14.93
$9.07 ฿294
64.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,063 $2,063
$694 ฿22.5K
197.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.2K $39.2K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
146.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.3 $64.3
$57.5 ฿1,861
11.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 $52.4
$34.51 ฿1,117
51.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 $95.2
$115 ฿3,727
-17.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 $145
$84.8 ฿2,743
70.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,378 $2,378
$611 ฿19.8K
289.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$442 ฿14.3K
258.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,763 $4,763
$2,014 ฿65.2K
136.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,815 $2,815
$1,460 ฿47.2K
92.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,588 $3,588
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-15.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,490 $2,490
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-13.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chicago, IL
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,275 $5,275
$697 ฿22.5K
657.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.6
5.33
23.83%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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