Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florence, AL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,638 in Florence, AL, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Florence, AL
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Florence, AL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Florence, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,638

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Florence, AL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Florence, AL $1,638
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,452 per month in Florence, AL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Florence, AL $2,452
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,266 per month in Florence, AL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Florence, AL $3,266
Phuket $3,154

Florence, AL costs about 28% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Florence, AL sits 20% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 $15.24

$4.47 ฿151

240.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 $63.1

$32.41 ฿1,093

94.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 $11.48

$8.81 ฿297

30.31%

Cappuccino

$4.57 $4.57

$2.83 ฿95.4

61.48%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$0.87 ฿29.41

181.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.49 ฿16.65

326.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.56 ฿86.3

33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.68 ฿124

33.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.46 ฿49.31

143.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.50 ฿50.5

175.33%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$2.09 ฿70.5

97.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$19.07 ฿643

-58.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$3.30 ฿111

307.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$10.91 ฿368

7.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.93 ฿98.9

67.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.69 ฿57.0

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.25 ฿75.8

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.08 ฿70.0

111.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.51 ฿51.0

61.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.38 ฿46.52

78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.07 ฿35.96

58.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.52 ฿17.51

332.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 $9.06

$4.20 ฿142

115.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$18.79 ฿634

-81.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.82 ฿61.5

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.84 ฿95.8

-45.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.02 ฿102

65.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.02 ฿34.33

49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 $21.38

$3.69 ฿125

479.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.47 ฿49.76

-34.69%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

1.79%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

2.76%

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

$200 $200

$96.4 ฿3,251

107.11%

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

$74.1 $74.1

$11.26 ฿380

558.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$16.85 ฿568

222.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 $11.35

$7.50 ฿253

51.33%

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

$888 $888

$476 ฿16.1K

86.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K $30.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

168.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.16 $36.16

$62.4 ฿2,104

-42.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 $25.26

$28.41 ฿958

-11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$94.3 ฿3,181

-16.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 $50.1

$85.8 ฿2,895

-41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 $760

$716 ฿24.2K

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 $586

$491 ฿16.6K

19.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 $1,116

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-32.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,663 $1,663

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-60.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 $1,678

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-44.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,869 $2,869

$502 ฿16.9K

471.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.22

5.57

11.67%

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

Last update for Florence, AL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florence, AL

$586 35.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 16.2% $95

Groceries & Markets

Florence, AL

$347 21.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florence, AL

$328 20%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 62.1% $204

Eating Out

Florence, AL

$256 15.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.5% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Florence, AL

$86 5.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 42.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Florence, AL

$23 * 1.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 262% $60

Getting Around

Florence, AL

$13 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 461% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $760 in Florence, AL 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 Florence, AL are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Florence, AL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Florence, AL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

19:50 7:50 PM

13 h ahead of Florence, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,184

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Florence, AL Phuket 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Florence, AL
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

Florence, AL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florence, AL costs about 28% 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 $2,457 per month in Florence, AL and $1,917 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 $760 in Florence, AL and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,638 in Florence, AL and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $888 per month in Florence, AL and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Florence, AL at $1,638. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Florence, AL 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.

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