Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edwardsville, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,709 in Edwardsville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Edwardsville, IL
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Edwardsville, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Edwardsville, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,709 per month in Edwardsville, IL vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Edwardsville, IL $2,709
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,793 per month in Edwardsville, IL vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Edwardsville, IL $3,793
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,877 per month in Edwardsville, IL vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Edwardsville, IL $4,877
Phuket $2,845

Edwardsville, IL costs about 124% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Edwardsville, IL sits 100% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.46 $21.46

$4.40 ฿147

387.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 $66.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

105.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$8.76 ฿293

32.42%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$2.83 ฿94.5

79.15%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$0.90 ฿30.14

215.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.47 ฿15.56

323.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.55 ฿85.2

112.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.62 $7.62

$3.83 ฿128

98.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.73 ฿57.7

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.47 ฿49.11

127.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.51 ฿50.6

208.61%

Eggs

$4.54 $4.54

$2.17 ฿72.7

109.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 $11.73

$19.70 ฿658

-40.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$3.34 ฿112

261.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$11.16 ฿373

30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.85 ฿95.1

51.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.70 ฿56.9

4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.19 ฿73.3

81.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.05 ฿68.4

118.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.45 ฿48.57

112.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.38 ฿46.16

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.07 ฿35.69

125.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.51 ฿16.91

313.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.04 $9.04

$4.26 ฿142

112.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 $16.27

$18.58 ฿621

-12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.78 ฿59.7

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.85 ฿95.2

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.26 ฿75.6

-12.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$22.10 ฿738

356.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.01 ฿101

11.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.06 ฿35.34

76.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.51 $29.51

$3.86 ฿129

664.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 ฿48.45

-32.41%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

13.47%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.50%

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

$196 $196

$96.4 ฿3,221

103.42%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$11.04 ฿369

419.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$17.14 ฿573

305.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.56 $41.56

$52.2 ฿1,744

-20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.46 $15.46

$7.81 ฿261

97.95%

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

$1,426 $1,426

$556 ฿18.6K

156.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

115.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.41 $41.41

$28.69 ฿959

44.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$95.4 ฿3,187

-6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$88.0 ฿2,940

32.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 $1,824

$737 ฿24.6K

147.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 $1,340

$462 ฿15.5K

189.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$2,095 ฿70.0K

12.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,919 $1,919

$1,201 ฿40.1K

59.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,030 $3,030

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-13.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,373 $2,373

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-5.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,962 $4,962

$501 ฿16.7K

891.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Edwardsville, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edwardsville, IL

$1.3K 49.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 65.5% $877

Groceries & Markets

Edwardsville, IL

$389 14.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 30.9% $120

Eating Out

Edwardsville, IL

$329 12.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edwardsville, IL

$323 11.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 61.4% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Edwardsville, IL

$135 5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.7% $10

Getting Around

Edwardsville, IL

$122 4.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 67.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Edwardsville, IL

$72 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 6.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,824 in Edwardsville, IL versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 891% higher in Edwardsville, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Edwardsville, IL versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edwardsville, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

15:30 3:30 PM

12 h ahead of Edwardsville, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,808

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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Edwardsville, IL Phuket 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Edwardsville, IL
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

Edwardsville, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edwardsville, IL is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,064 per month in Edwardsville, IL and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,709 in Edwardsville, IL and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 124%.

Public transport costs about 357% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Edwardsville, IL at $2,709. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edwardsville, IL 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edwardsville, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.