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 53.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 65.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Des Moines, IA is 46.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 25.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 $16.08

$4.65 ฿149

245.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$46.11 ฿1,474

72.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$8.74 ฿279

39.47%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.04 ฿97.1

57.89%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$0.72 ฿23.03

230.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.39 ฿12.50

376.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.44 ฿78.0

107.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.79 ฿121

82.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.14 ฿68.6

-55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.86 ฿59.5

35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.19 ฿69.9

-1.83%

Eggs

$3.55 $3.55

$2.25 ฿71.8

57.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$19.73 ฿631

-35.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$3.79 ฿121

173.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$13.55 ฿433

-6.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.25 ฿104

39.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.67 ฿53.4

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.39 ฿76.5

54.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.09 ฿66.9

72.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.53 ฿48.88

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.51 ฿48.27

100.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.99 ฿31.62

126.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.51 ฿16.46

109.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.27 ฿137

66.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.31 $14.31

$20.31 ฿649

-29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.79 ฿57.3

-2.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.77 ฿88.5

44.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.40 ฿44.89

22.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 $58.4

$11.70 ฿374

399.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.11 ฿99.4

-34.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.99 ฿31.80

23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 $19.84

$13.73 ฿439

44.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.32 ฿42.17

-37.88%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$27.2K ฿870.7K

-6.21%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-27.92%

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

$147 $147

$120 ฿3,849

21.94%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$13.93 ฿445

268.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$18.31 ฿585

197.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.3 $67.3

$60.9 ฿1,948

10.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 $19.61

$17.23 ฿551

13.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$8.71 ฿278

72.45%

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

$1,348 $1,348

$698 ฿22.3K

93.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$15.7K ฿503.0K

-25.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$57.6 ฿1,843

-8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.52 $42.52

$34.24 ฿1,095

24.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$113 ฿3,618

-36.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$84.8 ฿2,711

46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 $1,207

$604 ฿19.3K

99.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 $902

$436 ฿13.9K

106.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$2,057 ฿65.8K

-13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 $1,498

$1,498 ฿47.9K

-0.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,283 $2,283

$4,252 ฿135.9K

-46.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 $2,303

$2,988 ฿95.5K

-22.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 $3,601

$529 ฿16.9K

580.42%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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