Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Walton Beach, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,174 in Fort Walton Beach, FL, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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Fort Walton Beach, FL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fort Walton Beach, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,174

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,174 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $2,174
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,364 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $3,364
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,554 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $4,554
Phuket $3,154

Fort Walton Beach, FL costs about 70% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Walton Beach, FL sits 60% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.19 $15.19

$4.47 ฿151

239.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$32.41 ฿1,093

143.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 $10.41

$8.81 ฿297

18.16%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.83 ฿95.4

89.05%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$0.87 ฿29.41

211.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.49 ฿16.65

322.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.56 ฿86.3

98.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.68 ฿124

91.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿55.9

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.46 ฿49.31

95.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.50 ฿50.5

33.33%

Eggs

$2.98 $2.98

$2.09 ฿70.5

42.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$19.07 ฿643

-40.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.30 ฿111

200.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$10.91 ฿368

28.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.93 ฿98.9

17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.69 ฿57.0

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.25 ฿75.8

44.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.08 ฿70.0

41.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 ฿51.0

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.38 ฿46.52

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.07 ฿35.96

56.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.52 ฿17.51

186.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 $8.95

$4.20 ฿142

113.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 $8.64

$18.79 ฿634

-54.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.84 ฿95.8

-27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 ฿48.98

36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 $49.46

$56.7 ฿1,912

-12.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.02 ฿102

96.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.02 ฿34.33

80.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.95 $44.95

$3.69 ฿125

1118.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 ฿49.76

-35.37%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-2.60%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-0.74%

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

$171 $171

$96.4 ฿3,251

77.49%

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

$49.01 $49.01

$11.26 ฿380

335.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$16.85 ฿568

283.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.37 $47.37

$67.2 ฿2,268

-29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.77 $13.77

$7.50 ฿253

83.60%

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

$829 $829

$476 ฿16.1K

74.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K $13.8K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

22.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.98 $29.98

$62.4 ฿2,104

-51.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.32 $20.32

$28.41 ฿958

-28.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$94.3 ฿3,181

3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$85.8 ฿2,895

24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$716 ฿24.2K

130.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 $1,049

$491 ฿16.6K

113.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,872 $2,872

$1,927 ฿65.0K

49.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 $2,022

$1,431 ฿48.3K

41.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,673 $4,673

$4,175 ฿140.9K

11.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,677 $4,677

$3,045 ฿102.7K

53.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,346 $3,346

$502 ฿16.9K

566.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

5.57

15.26%

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

Last update for Fort Walton Beach, FL: 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 Walton Beach, FL

$1K 48.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.2% $559

Groceries & Markets

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$302 13.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 11.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$285 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.3% $160

Eating Out

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$275 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.8% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$115 5.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.3% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$75 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 9.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$72 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,654 in Fort Walton Beach, 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 Walton Beach, FL are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fort Walton Beach, FL versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Walton Beach, FL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

13 h ahead of Fort Walton Beach, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,507

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 →

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Fort Walton Beach, FL Phuket 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Walton Beach, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,174 in Fort Walton Beach, FL, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,261 per month in Fort Walton Beach, 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 $1,654 in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Fort Walton Beach, FL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fort Walton Beach, FL and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Fort Walton Beach, FL at $2,174. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Walton Beach, 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 Walton Beach, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.