Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,951

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Fort Smith, AR $1,951
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,992 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Fort Smith, AR $2,992
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Fort Smith, AR versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Fort Smith, AR $4,033
Phuket $3,154

Living in Fort Smith, AR is roughly 53% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort Smith, AR is 43% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$4.47 ฿151

351.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 $64.6

$32.41 ฿1,093

99.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 $11.43

$8.81 ฿297

29.74%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.83 ฿95.4

87.99%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$0.87 ฿29.41

174.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.49 ฿16.65

308.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.56 ฿86.3

132.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$3.68 ฿124

145.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.66 ฿55.9

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.46 ฿49.31

123.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.50 ฿50.5

152.00%

Eggs

$2.89 $2.89

$2.09 ฿70.5

38.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$19.07 ฿643

-60.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$3.30 ฿111

226.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$10.91 ฿368

79.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.93 ฿98.9

62.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.69 ฿57.0

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.25 ฿75.8

10.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.08 ฿70.0

1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.51 ฿51.0

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.38 ฿46.52

14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.07 ฿35.96

63.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.52 ฿17.51

338.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.33 $8.33

$4.20 ฿142

98.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$18.79 ฿634

-26.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.84 ฿95.8

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.45 ฿48.98

-15.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.44 $35.44

$56.7 ฿1,912

-37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.02 ฿102

-11.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.02 ฿34.33

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 $29.99

$3.69 ฿125

712.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.47 ฿49.76

-48.30%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-3.05%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-4.15%

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

$276 $276

$96.4 ฿3,251

186.07%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$11.26 ฿380

517.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$16.85 ฿568

309.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.06 $27.06

$67.2 ฿2,268

-59.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.73 ฿362

51.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 $13.52

$7.50 ฿253

80.27%

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

$918 $918

$476 ฿16.1K

92.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

108.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$62.4 ฿2,104

-12.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$28.41 ฿958

47.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 $91.8

$94.3 ฿3,181

-2.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 $77.6

$85.8 ฿2,895

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 $683

$716 ฿24.2K

-4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 $646

$491 ฿16.6K

31.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-20.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-9.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,557 $1,557

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-62.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,561 $1,561

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-48.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 $3,154

$502 ฿16.9K

527.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

5.57

14.54%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: 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

Fort Smith, AR

$646 33.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 24% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$414 21.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 70% $290

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$342 17.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22.2% $76

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$325 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.6% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.9% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 52% $28

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 42.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Fort Smith, AR and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Fort Smith, AR vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

06:53 6:53 AM

13 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

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

Fort Smith, AR Phuket 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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 Smith, AR vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fort Smith, AR is about 6.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $683 in Fort Smith, AR versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,951 per month in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Fort Smith, AR runs roughly 37% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fort Smith, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Fort Smith, AR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.