Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downey, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,035 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Downey, CA
Learn more

Downey, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,035

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,035 in Downey, CA versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Downey, CA $3,035
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,713 in Downey, CA versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Downey, CA $4,713
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,391 in Downey, CA versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Downey, CA $6,391
Phuket $2,867

Living in Downey, CA is roughly 151% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Downey, CA is 125% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.83 $24.83

$4.58 ฿153

442.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

147.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$8.55 ฿286

77.89%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$2.72 ฿91.0

108.09%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$0.94 ฿31.25

236.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.49 ฿16.39

377.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 $7.38

$2.59 ฿86.6

184.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.36 $9.36

$3.83 ฿128

144.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.74 ฿58.1

-35.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.43 ฿47.82

186.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.53 ฿51.0

207.19%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.17 ฿72.7

115.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.15 ฿640

-32.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$3.30 ฿110

306.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$11.14 ฿372

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.95 ฿98.5

59.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.68 ฿56.1

-1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.30 ฿76.8

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.13 ฿71.3

157.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.53 ฿51.1

142.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.36 ฿45.55

126.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.12 ฿37.44

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.55 ฿18.24

305.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$4.26 ฿142

174.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$18.19 ฿608

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.74 ฿58.2

15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.79 ฿93.3

50.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$2.91 ฿97.3

117.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.49 ฿49.85

-1.34%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

41.32%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.71%

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

$170 $170

$99.4 ฿3,321

71.37%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$11.28 ฿377

490.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$17.36 ฿580

316.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.92 $34.92

$52.3 ฿1,747

-33.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.57 ฿253

99.60%

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

$1,188 $1,188

$558 ฿18.7K

112.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$62.9 ฿2,102

-6.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$28.58 ฿955

60.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$96.1 ฿3,213

-4.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$88.1 ฿2,943

63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$729 ฿24.4K

166.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$460 ฿15.4K

268.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 $3,725

$2,096 ฿70.0K

77.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,383 $3,383

$1,222 ฿40.8K

176.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,755 $5,755

$3,459 ฿115.6K

66.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,766 $5,766

$2,489 ฿83.2K

131.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,178 $4,178

$493 ฿16.5K

747.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

5.57

14.72%

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

Last update for Downey, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 72.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Downey, CA

$419 13.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 36.1% $151

Eating Out

Downey, CA

$390 12.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 68.9% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downey, CA

$309 10.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 58.6% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Downey, CA

$153 5.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Downey, CA

$65 2.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 3.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Downey, CA

$6.3 * 0.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 513% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,946 in Downey, CA and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays 747% 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: $80.0 in Downey, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

14 h ahead of Downey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,355

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Downey, CA Phuket 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Downey, CA
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

Downey, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 747% higher in Downey, CA, 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: $1,946 in Downey, CA versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,035 per month in Downey, CA versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,035 in Downey, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Downey, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Downey, CA 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 151% less than in Downey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.