Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lauderdale, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,414 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lauderdale, FL
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Fort Lauderdale, FL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fort Lauderdale, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,414

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,414 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $3,414
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $5,025 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $5,025
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $6,636 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Lauderdale, FL $6,636
Phuket $3,154

Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about 167% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Lauderdale, FL sits 151% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.40 $29.40

$4.47 ฿151

557.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

207.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.55 $14.55

$8.81 ฿297

65.15%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$2.83 ฿95.4

80.21%

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

$2.99 $2.99

$0.87 ฿29.42

243.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.49 ฿16.66

342.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.56 ฿86.3

139.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.68 ฿124

88.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.46 ฿49.32

244.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.50 ฿50.5

150.00%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$2.09 ฿70.5

134.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$19.07 ฿643

-9.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$3.30 ฿111

213.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.42 $26.42

$10.91 ฿368

142.16%

Apples (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$2.93 ฿98.9

120.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.69 ฿57.0

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.25 ฿75.8

93.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.08 ฿70.1

156.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.51 ฿51.0

91.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.38 ฿46.54

129.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.07 ฿35.97

148.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.52 ฿17.51

244.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$4.20 ฿142

126.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$18.79 ฿634

-37.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.82 ฿61.5

64.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.84 ฿95.9

-25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.45 ฿49.00

41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 $71.0

$56.7 ฿1,912

25.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.02 ฿102

32.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.02 ฿34.34

77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$3.69 ฿125

548.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 ฿49.78

-30.61%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

5.76%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-0.24%

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

$212 $212

$96.4 ฿3,252

119.82%

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

$64.8 $64.8

$11.26 ฿380

475.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.7 $80.7

$16.85 ฿569

378.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.90 $42.90

$67.2 ฿2,269

-36.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.34 $14.34

$10.73 ฿362

33.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.92 $17.92

$7.50 ฿253

138.93%

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

$1,026 $1,026

$476 ฿16.1K

115.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.2K $41.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

265.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.35 $46.35

$62.4 ฿2,105

-25.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$28.41 ฿959

47.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$94.3 ฿3,182

-7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$85.8 ฿2,896

35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,687 $2,687

$716 ฿24.2K

275.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,893 $1,893

$491 ฿16.6K

285.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,985 $4,985

$1,927 ฿65.0K

158.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,168 $3,168

$1,431 ฿48.3K

121.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,795 $5,795

$4,175 ฿140.9K

38.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,254 $4,254

$3,045 ฿102.8K

39.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,757 $4,757

$502 ฿17.0K

847.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.57

19.03%

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

Last update for Fort Lauderdale, FL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$1.9K 55.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 74.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$456 13.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 41.6% $190

Eating Out

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$405 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 70% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$357 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.2% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$131 3.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.2% $9.5

Getting Around

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$92 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 23.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lauderdale, FL

$79 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 4.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,687 in Fort Lauderdale, FL 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 Fort Lauderdale, FL are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Fort Lauderdale, FL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lauderdale, FL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

09:41 9:41 AM

12 h ahead of Fort Lauderdale, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,521

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 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Lauderdale, FL Phuket 16,230 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lauderdale, FL
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

Fort Lauderdale, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about 167% 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 $5,121 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL 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 $2,687 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Kindergarten costs $1,026 per month in Fort Lauderdale, FL and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Fort Lauderdale, FL, 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 Fort Lauderdale, FL at $3,414. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Lauderdale, FL 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, Fort Lauderdale, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.