Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Decatur, AL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,929 in Decatur, AL, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, AL
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Decatur, AL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Decatur, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,929 per month in Decatur, AL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Decatur, AL $1,929
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,715 per month in Decatur, AL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Decatur, AL $2,715
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,500 per month in Decatur, AL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Decatur, AL $3,500
Phuket $3,154

Decatur, AL costs about 51% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Decatur, AL sits 42% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.73 $14.73

$4.47 ฿151

229.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.83 $42.83

$32.41 ฿1,094

32.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$8.81 ฿297

36.44%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$2.83 ฿95.4

56.89%

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

$1.27 $1.27

$0.87 ฿29.42

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.49 ฿16.66

224.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.56 ฿86.3

99.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.68 ฿124

60.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.66 ฿56.0

-69.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.46 ฿49.32

112.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.50 ฿50.5

35.33%

Eggs

$2.60 $2.60

$2.09 ฿70.5

24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$19.07 ฿643

-58.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$3.30 ฿111

72.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$10.91 ฿368

12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.93 ฿98.9

2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.69 ฿57.0

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.25 ฿75.8

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.08 ฿70.1

-7.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.51 ฿51.0

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.38 ฿46.54

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.07 ฿35.97

148.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.52 ฿17.51

321.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$4.20 ฿142

123.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 $13.04

$18.79 ฿634

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.82 ฿61.5

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.84 ฿95.9

-43.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.02 ฿102

-34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.02 ฿34.34

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.31 $20.31

$3.69 ฿125

450.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 ฿49.78

-29.25%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.36%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

3.31%

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

$189 $189

$96.4 ฿3,252

96.11%

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

$84.5 $84.5

$11.26 ฿380

650.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$16.85 ฿569

340.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$7.50 ฿253

98.13%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$476 ฿16.1K

259.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K $25.1K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

122.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.48 $46.48

$62.4 ฿2,105

-25.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.04 $33.04

$28.41 ฿959

16.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$94.3 ฿3,182

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$85.8 ฿2,896

81.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 $987

$716 ฿24.2K

37.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$491 ฿16.6K

77.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 $1,336

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-6.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,659 $1,659

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-60.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,681 $1,681

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-44.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Decatur, AL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Decatur, AL

$872 45.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 43.7% $381

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Decatur, AL

$348 18%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Decatur, AL

$272 14.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.2% $6.1

Eating Out

Decatur, AL

$256 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.4% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Decatur, AL

$143 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Decatur, AL

$30 * 1.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 177% $53

Getting Around

Decatur, AL

$8.7 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 711% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $987 in Decatur, AL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Decatur, AL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Decatur, AL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

20:50 8:50 PM

13 h ahead of Decatur, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,047

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Decatur, AL Phuket 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Decatur, AL
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

Decatur, AL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Decatur, AL costs about 51% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,894 per month in Decatur, AL 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 $987 in Decatur, AL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,929 in Decatur, AL and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 34% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Decatur, AL 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 Decatur, AL at $1,929. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Decatur, AL 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.