Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellensburg, WA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,404 in Ellensburg, WA, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ellensburg, WA
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Ellensburg, WA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ellensburg, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,404

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,404 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $2,404
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,555 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $3,555
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,705 per month in Ellensburg, WA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellensburg, WA $4,705
Phuket $3,154

Ellensburg, WA costs about 88% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ellensburg, WA sits 77% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$4.47 ฿151

241.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

131.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$8.81 ฿297

37.68%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.83 ฿95.4

78.09%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$0.87 ฿29.42

77.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.49 ฿16.66

157.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.56 ฿86.3

90.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.68 ฿124

65.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.46 ฿49.32

91.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.50 ฿50.5

214.00%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.09 ฿70.5

102.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 $15.48

$19.07 ฿643

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.30 ฿111

101.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$10.91 ฿368

24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.93 ฿98.9

57.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.69 ฿57.0

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.25 ฿75.8

89.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.08 ฿70.1

90.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.38 ฿46.54

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.07 ฿35.97

83.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.52 ฿17.51

267.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$4.20 ฿142

135.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 $13.99

$18.79 ฿634

-25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.82 ฿61.5

2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.84 ฿95.9

72.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.45 ฿49.00

41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 $57.6

$56.7 ฿1,912

1.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.02 ฿102

68.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.02 ฿34.34

72.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.42 $39.42

$3.69 ฿125

968.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 ฿49.78

-29.25%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.98%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

2.24%

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

$149 $149

$96.4 ฿3,252

54.83%

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

$39.60 $39.60

$11.26 ฿380

251.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$16.85 ฿569

323.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$67.2 ฿2,269

-39.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 $15.93

$7.50 ฿253

112.40%

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

$1,356 $1,356

$476 ฿16.1K

184.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

91.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.48 $34.48

$62.4 ฿2,105

-44.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.61 $34.61

$28.41 ฿959

21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$94.3 ฿3,182

15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.10 $40.10

$85.8 ฿2,896

-53.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$716 ฿24.2K

125.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$491 ฿16.6K

160.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 $2,509

$1,927 ฿65.0K

30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,172 $2,172

$1,431 ฿48.3K

51.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,531 $4,531

$4,175 ฿140.9K

8.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 $4,418

$3,045 ฿102.8K

45.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 $1,785

$502 ฿17.0K

255.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Ellensburg, WA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellensburg, WA

$1.3K 53.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.6% $786

Groceries & Markets

Ellensburg, WA

$349 14.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.7% $83

Eating Out

Ellensburg, WA

$267 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellensburg, WA

$260 10.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Ellensburg, WA

$98 4.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24% $24

Getting Around

Ellensburg, WA

$80 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 11.4% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ellensburg, WA

$73 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA versus $716 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 in Ellensburg, WA are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Ellensburg, WA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellensburg, WA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

15 h ahead of Ellensburg, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,666

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Ellensburg, WA Phuket 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Ellensburg, WA
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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

Ellensburg, WA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ellensburg, WA costs about 88% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,605 per month in Ellensburg, WA and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,614 in Ellensburg, WA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Ellensburg, WA and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Ellensburg, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Ellensburg, WA at $2,404. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellensburg, WA 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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