Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Phuket $2,845

Fort Madison, IA costs about 112% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Madison, IA sits 89% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$4.40 ฿147

350.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

136.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$8.76 ฿293

30.14%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$2.83 ฿94.5

93.99%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$0.90 ฿30.14

192.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.47 ฿15.56

321.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.55 ฿85.2

140.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.83 ฿128

92.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.47 ฿49.11

134.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.51 ฿50.6

184.77%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.17 ฿72.7

91.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$19.70 ฿658

-36.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$3.34 ฿112

239.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$11.16 ฿373

52.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.85 ฿95.1

71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.70 ฿56.9

-7.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.19 ฿73.3

93.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.05 ฿68.4

135.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.45 ฿48.57

95.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.38 ฿46.16

113.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.07 ฿35.69

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.51 ฿16.91

333.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.26 ฿142

137.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$18.58 ฿621

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.78 ฿59.7

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.85 ฿95.2

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.26 ฿75.6

0.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.01 ฿101

10.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.06 ฿35.34

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$3.86 ฿129

721.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 ฿48.45

-36.55%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

0.86%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-11.61%

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

$201 $201

$96.4 ฿3,221

109.01%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$11.04 ฿369

434.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$17.14 ฿573

314.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$52.2 ฿1,744

-21.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$7.81 ฿261

81.05%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$556 ฿18.6K

158.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

104.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$64.2 ฿2,146

-16.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$28.69 ฿959

42.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$95.4 ฿3,187

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.0 ฿2,940

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$737 ฿24.6K

114.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$462 ฿15.5K

178.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,095 ฿70.0K

20.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,201 ฿40.1K

78.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-30.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$2,523 ฿84.3K

2.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.1% $825

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 31.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 62.4% $207

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 62.4% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.1% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 86% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

08:00 8:00 AM

12 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Fort Madison, IA Phuket 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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 Madison, IA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA 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 $1,208 in Phuket to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.