Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,518 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Phuket $3,154

Chicago, IL costs about 138% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chicago, IL sits 123% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$4.47 ฿151

363.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

175.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$8.81 ฿297

49.72%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$2.83 ฿95.5

100.00%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.87 ฿29.43

203.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.49 ฿16.67

365.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.56 ฿86.4

168.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$3.68 ฿124

140.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.66 ฿56.0

-24.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.46 ฿49.35

154.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.50 ฿50.6

259.33%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$2.09 ฿70.5

126.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$19.07 ฿644

-27.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$3.30 ฿111

336.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$10.91 ฿368

68.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.93 ฿99.0

78.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.69 ฿57.1

17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.25 ฿75.8

80.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.08 ฿70.1

138.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.51 ฿51.0

76.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.38 ฿46.56

92.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.07 ฿35.99

109.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$0.52 ฿17.52

501.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$4.20 ฿142

229.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$18.79 ฿634

-20.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.82 ฿61.5

39.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.84 ฿95.9

23.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.45 ฿49.03

67.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

$56.7 ฿1,913

29.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.02 ฿102

5.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.02 ฿34.36

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$3.69 ฿125

578.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.47 ฿49.81

-18.37%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

30.85%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-0.06%

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

$194 $194

$96.4 ฿3,254

101.79%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$11.26 ฿380

516.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$16.85 ฿569

265.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$67.2 ฿2,270

-28.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

$10.73 ฿362

154.80%

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$7.50 ฿253

137.47%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$476 ฿16.1K

276.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

183.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

7.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$28.41 ฿959

83.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$94.3 ฿3,184

7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$85.8 ฿2,898

67.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$716 ฿24.2K

252.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$491 ฿16.6K

221.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$1,927 ฿65.1K

145.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,431 ฿48.3K

88.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$4,175 ฿141.0K

0.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-9.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$502 ฿17.0K

881.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 40.5% $181

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.7% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 61.8% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25.7% $42

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 24.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,526 in Chicago, IL 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 Chicago, IL are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

12 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Phuket 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,555 per month in Chicago, IL 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 $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Chicago, 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 $89 in Chicago, IL and $32 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 $1,278, than in Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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