Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Emporia, KS and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,561 in Emporia, KS, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Emporia, KS
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Emporia, KS Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Emporia, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,561

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Emporia, KS vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Emporia, KS $1,561
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,485 per month in Emporia, KS vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Emporia, KS $2,485
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,409 per month in Emporia, KS vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Emporia, KS $3,409
Phuket $3,115

Emporia, KS costs about 21% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Emporia, KS sits 15% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.81 $15.81

$4.39 ฿148

260.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$32.31 ฿1,090

130.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$8.70 ฿294

35.52%

Cappuccino

$4.47 $4.47

$2.72 ฿91.9

64.34%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$0.93 ฿31.38

145.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.50 ฿16.85

238.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.53 ฿85.4

101.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.63 ฿122

65.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.74 ฿58.7

-45.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.45 ฿48.93

126.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.50 ฿50.7

30.67%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$2.17 ฿73.3

26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$19.09 ฿644

-56.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$3.40 ฿115

155.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 $14.48

$10.90 ฿368

32.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.94 ฿99.2

65.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.69 ฿57.1

-30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.19 ฿74.0

24.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.12 ฿71.6

36.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.46 ฿49.19

10.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.37 ฿46.14

97.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.08 ฿36.29

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.55 ฿18.40

327.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$4.43 ฿149

98.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 $9.26

$18.25 ฿616

-49.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.77 ฿59.8

1.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.88 ฿97.2

-11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.51 ฿51.0

225.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.78 ฿26.17

135.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.06 $35.06

$3.84 ฿129

813.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.49 ฿50.2

-41.61%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

2.39%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

0.03%

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

$144 $144

$97.8 ฿3,299

47.55%

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

$47.46 $47.46

$11.29 ฿381

320.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$17.19 ฿580

196.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.26 $44.26

$68.3 ฿2,305

-35.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 $12.26

$7.43 ฿251

65.01%

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

$834 $834

$530 ฿17.9K

57.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,881 $8,881

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-52.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.09 $47.09

$61.7 ฿2,080

-23.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.72 $24.72

$28.25 ฿953

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$96.0 ฿3,238

-6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 $85.6

$86.8 ฿2,928

-1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$721 ฿24.3K

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$509 ฿17.2K

7.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 $1,719

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-11.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-22.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,267 $1,267

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-69.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,259 $1,259

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-61.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,496 $5,496

$492 ฿16.6K

1018.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

5.57

14.36%

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

Last update for Emporia, KS: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Emporia, KS

$547 35%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 6.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Emporia, KS

$308 19.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 13.4% $41

Eating Out

Emporia, KS

$269 17.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 55.6% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Emporia, KS

$243 15.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 48% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Emporia, KS

$111 7.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 10.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Emporia, KS

$69 4.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 21% $14

Getting Around

Emporia, KS

$14 * 0.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 368% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Emporia, KS versus $721 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 Emporia, KS are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Emporia, KS versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Emporia, KS

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

13 h ahead of Emporia, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,188

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Emporia, KS Phuket 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Emporia, KS
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

Emporia, KS vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Emporia, KS costs about 21% 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 $2,341 per month in Emporia, KS and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $678 in Emporia, KS and $721 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Emporia, KS and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Emporia, KS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Emporia, KS at $1,561. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Emporia, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,561 in Emporia, KS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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