Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Des Moines, IA is 64.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 70.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Des Moines, IA is 60.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 27.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.83 $15.83
$4.68 ฿151
238.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.4 $79.4
$46.4 ฿1,502
71.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.17 $12.17
$8.65 ฿280
40.69%
Cappuccino
$4.78 $4.78
$3.09 ฿100
54.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$0.73 ฿23.53
217.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.37 ฿11.95
421.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.86 $4.86
$2.39 ฿77.4
103.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.97 $6.97
$3.62 ฿117
92.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$2.24 ฿72.5
-56.70%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.8 ฿58.2
42.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$2.24 ฿72.3
0.89%
Eggs
$3.72 $3.72
$2.23 ฿72.1
66.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.89 $12.89
$19.31 ฿625
-33.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.58 $10.58
$3.77 ฿122
180.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.82 $12.82
$13.05 ฿422
-1.76%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$3.28 ฿106
32.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 $1.44
$1.63 ฿52.6
-11.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.75 $3.75
$2.4 ฿77.7
56.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.61 $3.61
$1.99 ฿64.3
81.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.53 ฿49.62
8.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.49 ฿48.11
99.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.02 ฿32.87
124.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 $1.08
$0.48 ฿15.61
125.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.17 $7.17
$4.32 ฿140
65.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.95 $13.95
$21.68 ฿702
-35.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.77 ฿57.3
0.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 $4.11
$2.79 ฿90.4
47.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 $1.7
$1.35 ฿43.74
25.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57 $57
$11.76 ฿380
384.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 $1.94
$3.15 ฿102
-38.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.23 $1.23
$1 ฿32.3
23.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.71 $19.71
$13.64 ฿442
44.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$1.3 ฿42.2
-37.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-6.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K $24.9K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-26.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 $145
$123 ฿3,970
18.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.1 $52.1
$13.93 ฿451
273.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.2 $54.2
$18.24 ฿590
197.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.1 $66.1
$60.8 ฿1,966
8.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.16 $20.16
$17.11 ฿554
17.83%
Cinema Ticket
$15.29 $15.29
$9.07 ฿294
68.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,380 $1,380
$694 ฿22.5K
98.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12K $12K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-24.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53 $53
$57.5 ฿1,861
-7.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.04 $42.04
$34.51 ฿1,117
21.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74 $74
$115 ฿3,727
-35.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 $127
$84.8 ฿2,743
49.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,226 $1,226
$611 ฿19.8K
100.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$896 $896
$442 ฿14.3K
102.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,740 $1,740
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-13.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,494 $1,494
$1,460 ฿47.2K
2.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,284 $2,284
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-46.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,291 $2,291
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-20.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Des Moines, IA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,655 $3,655
$697 ฿22.5K
424.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
5.33
21.95%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.