Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Conway, AR and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,079 in Conway, AR, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Conway, AR
Learn more

Conway, AR Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Conway, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,079

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,079 in Conway, AR versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Conway, AR $2,079
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,075 in Conway, AR versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Conway, AR $3,075
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,071 in Conway, AR versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Conway, AR $4,071
Phuket $2,845

Living in Conway, AR is roughly 72% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Conway, AR is 53% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 $17.69

$4.40 ฿147

302.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$32.26 ฿1,078

88.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 $10.86

$8.76 ฿293

23.97%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$2.83 ฿94.5

73.14%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$0.90 ฿30.14

155.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.47 ฿15.56

351.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.55 ฿85.2

75.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 $6.36

$3.83 ฿128

66.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.73 ฿57.7

-46.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.47 ฿49.11

122.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.51 ฿50.6

46.36%

Eggs

$3.74 $3.74

$2.17 ฿72.7

72.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 $11.03

$19.70 ฿658

-44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$3.34 ฿112

159.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$11.16 ฿373

38.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.85 ฿95.1

55.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.70 ฿56.9

-36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.19 ฿73.3

39.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.05 ฿68.4

116.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.45 ฿48.57

17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.38 ฿46.16

68.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.07 ฿35.69

70.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.51 ฿16.91

296.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.26 ฿142

92.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 $13.43

$18.58 ฿621

-27.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.78 ฿59.7

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.85 ฿95.2

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.26 ฿75.6

-39.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.36 $35.36

$22.10 ฿738

60.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.01 ฿101

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.06 ฿35.34

37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.80 $23.80

$3.86 ฿129

516.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 ฿48.45

-34.48%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.61%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-1.65%

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

$267 $267

$96.4 ฿3,221

176.68%

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

$39.73 $39.73

$11.04 ฿369

259.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$17.14 ฿573

324.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.68 $24.68

$52.2 ฿1,744

-52.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$7.81 ฿261

51.98%

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

$768 $768

$556 ฿18.6K

38.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-11.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 $71.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

10.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.94 $36.94

$28.69 ฿959

28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 $77.2

$95.4 ฿3,187

-19.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$88.0 ฿2,940

44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 $858

$737 ฿24.6K

16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 $836

$462 ฿15.5K

80.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-39.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 $1,482

$1,201 ฿40.1K

23.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,645 $1,645

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-52.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,689 $1,689

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-33.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,351 $3,351

$501 ฿16.7K

569.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.57

14.18%

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

Last update for Conway, AR: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Conway, AR

$836 40.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 44.7% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Conway, AR

$379 18.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 67.1% $255

Groceries & Markets

Conway, AR

$338 16.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 20.5% $69

Eating Out

Conway, AR

$286 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 57.6% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Conway, AR

$140 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 11.5% $16

Getting Around

Conway, AR

$51 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 23% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Conway, AR

$48 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 40% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $858 in Conway, AR and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Conway, AR pays 569% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Conway, AR vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Conway, AR

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

17:17 5:17 PM

12 h ahead of Conway, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,334

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Conway, AR Phuket 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Conway, AR
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

Conway, AR vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Conway, AR and Phuket differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($2,079 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 569% higher in Conway, AR, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $858 in Conway, AR versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Conway, AR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $61.0 in Conway, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,079 in Conway, AR, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Conway, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Conway, AR and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Conway, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.