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

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 87.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 146% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 83.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 84.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.53 $20.53

$4.59 ฿147

347.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$46.83 ฿1,498

117.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$8.70 ฿278

38.28%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$2.92 ฿93.5

92.47%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$0.68 ฿21.86

351.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.40 ฿12.67

505.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$2.51 ฿80.2

178.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.80 ฿122

113.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.16 ฿69.1

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.88 ฿60.2

110.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.16 ฿69.0

155.56%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$2.22 ฿71.0

104.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$19.57 ฿626

-25.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$3.80 ฿122

292.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$13.41 ฿429

40.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$3.26 ฿104

63.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.61 ฿51.5

9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.31 ฿73.8

90.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.06 ฿65.8

112.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.61 ฿51.3

58.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.44 ฿46.15

93.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.03 ฿32.92

138.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.48 ฿15.35

454.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.74 $14.74

$4.50 ฿144

227.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$19.18 ฿613

-20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.82 ฿58.3

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.69 ฿86.0

36.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.38 ฿44.05

82.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.5 $74.5

$11.76 ฿376

533.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.11 ฿99.3

5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.00 ฿32.10

43.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 $24.86

$13.74 ฿439

80.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.30 ฿41.50

-16.15%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$27.4K ฿874.8K

14.55%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-18.90%

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

$187 $187

$125 ฿3,994

49.84%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$13.74 ฿439

353.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$18.61 ฿595

260.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.2 $75.2

$60.6 ฿1,936

24.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 $13.17

$17.15 ฿548

-23.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$9.01 ฿288

68.81%

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

$2,039 $2,039

$698 ฿22.3K

192.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K $39.3K

$16.1K ฿515.3K

144.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 $64.0

$59.2 ฿1,894

8.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$34.86 ฿1,115

45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 $95.4

$114 ฿3,653

-16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$85.8 ฿2,744

67.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 $2,355

$619 ฿19.8K

280.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$437 ฿14.0K

269.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,728 $4,728

$2,075 ฿66.4K

127.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$1,509 ฿48.3K

82.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 $3,803

$3,764 ฿120.4K

1.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,580 $2,580

$2,694 ฿86.1K

-4.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,738 $4,738

$528 ฿16.9K

796.57%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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