Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,212 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,212 in Denver, CO versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Denver, CO $3,212
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,651 in Denver, CO versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Denver, CO $4,651
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,090 in Denver, CO versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Denver, CO $6,090
Phuket $2,867

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 166% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Denver, CO is 138% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$4.58 ฿153

341.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

162.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$8.55 ฿286

37.31%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$2.72 ฿91.0

113.24%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$0.94 ฿31.25

204.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.49 ฿16.39

369.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$2.59 ฿86.6

175.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.83 ฿128

112.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.74 ฿58.1

-35.06%

White Bread (500g)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.43 ฿47.82

282.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.53 ฿51.0

365.36%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$2.17 ฿72.7

131.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$19.15 ฿640

-13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$3.30 ฿110

413.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 $18.44

$11.14 ฿372

65.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.95 ฿98.5

72.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.68 ฿56.1

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.30 ฿76.8

104.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.13 ฿71.3

149.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.53 ฿51.1

68.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.36 ฿45.55

101.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.12 ฿37.44

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.55 ฿18.24

358.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$4.26 ฿142

150.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$18.19 ฿608

3.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.74 ฿58.2

57.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.79 ฿93.3

30.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 ฿74.1

22.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 $87.0

$22.06 ฿737

294.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.91 ฿97.3

18.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.01 ฿33.79

70.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 $30.36

$3.83 ฿128

692.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.49 ฿49.85

-31.54%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

30.57%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-4.24%

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

$166 $166

$99.4 ฿3,321

66.72%

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

$77.1 $77.1

$11.28 ฿377

583.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$17.36 ฿580

305.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 $60.6

$52.3 ฿1,747

15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.84 $24.84

$10.85 ฿362

128.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$7.57 ฿253

100.40%

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

$2,375 $2,375

$558 ฿18.7K

325.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K $33.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

192.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$62.9 ฿2,102

12.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.74 $45.74

$28.58 ฿955

60.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$96.1 ฿3,213

4.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$88.1 ฿2,943

47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$729 ฿24.4K

174.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$460 ฿15.4K

270.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 $3,250

$2,096 ฿70.0K

55.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 $2,679

$1,222 ฿40.8K

119.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,737 $5,737

$3,459 ฿115.6K

65.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 $3,680

$2,489 ฿83.2K

47.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,540 $4,540

$493 ฿16.5K

820.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

5.57

23.88%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver, CO

$1.7K 53%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 73% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$500 15.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 46.5% $232

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$339 10.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 64.2% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$313 9.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59.1% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$156 4.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.6% $32

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$110 3.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 64.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$91 2.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 25.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Denver, CO and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 821% 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: $85.0 in Denver, CO vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $500 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

16:29 4:29 PM

13 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Denver, CO Phuket 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, CO
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

Denver, CO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Denver, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 821% higher in Denver, CO, 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: $1,999 in Denver, CO versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Denver, CO. 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 $85.0 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,212 in Denver, CO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Denver, CO 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 166% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.