Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,811 in Fresno, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fresno, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,811

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,811 per month in Fresno, CA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Fresno, CA $2,811
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,028 per month in Fresno, CA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Fresno, CA $4,028
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Fresno, CA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Fresno, CA $5,244
Phuket $3,154

Fresno, CA costs about 120% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fresno, CA sits 107% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.74 $19.74

$4.47 ฿151

341.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 $71.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

119.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.89 $13.89

$8.81 ฿297

57.66%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$2.83 ฿95.4

78.45%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$0.87 ฿29.42

235.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.49 ฿16.66

328.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.56 ฿86.3

174.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$3.68 ฿124

147.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.66 ฿56.0

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.46 ฿49.32

84.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.50 ฿50.5

213.33%

Eggs

$5.47 $5.47

$2.09 ฿70.5

161.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$19.07 ฿643

-42.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 $9.73

$3.30 ฿111

194.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 $15.57

$10.91 ฿368

42.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.93 ฿98.9

73.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.69 ฿57.0

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.25 ฿75.8

97.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.08 ฿70.1

62.98%

Potato (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$1.51 ฿51.0

423.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.38 ฿46.54

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.07 ฿35.97

117.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.52 ฿17.51

475.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$4.20 ฿142

178.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 $17.73

$18.79 ฿634

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.82 ฿61.5

20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 $6.56

$2.84 ฿95.9

130.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 ฿49.00

-32.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.47 $44.47

$56.7 ฿1,912

-21.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 $4.24

$3.02 ฿102

40.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.02 ฿34.34

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.17 $27.17

$3.69 ฿125

636.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.47 ฿49.78

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.31%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

3.93%

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

$237 $237

$96.4 ฿3,252

146.40%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$11.26 ฿380

366.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.1 $77.1

$16.85 ฿569

357.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.14 $33.14

$67.2 ฿2,269

-50.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.19 $42.19

$10.73 ฿362

293.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.41 $17.41

$7.50 ฿253

132.13%

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

$1,191 $1,191

$476 ฿16.1K

150.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K $13.0K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

15.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$62.4 ฿2,105

-3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.07 $43.07

$28.41 ฿959

51.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 $95.0

$94.3 ฿3,182

0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 $172

$85.8 ฿2,896

99.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$716 ฿24.2K

119.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$491 ฿16.6K

185.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,927 ฿65.0K

13.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,431 ฿48.3K

53.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,602 $2,602

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-37.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,070 $3,070

$3,045 ฿102.8K

0.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,818 $3,818

$502 ฿17.0K

660.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.57

14.90%

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

Last update for Fresno, CA: 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

Fresno, CA

$1.4K 49.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 65% $912

Groceries & Markets

Fresno, CA

$413 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fresno, CA

$367 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.1% $243

Eating Out

Fresno, CA

$334 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.5% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Fresno, CA

$166 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Fresno, CA

$68 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21% $14

Getting Around

Fresno, CA

$60 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 17.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Fresno, CA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fresno, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

15 h ahead of Fresno, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,052

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fresno, CA Phuket 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Fresno, CA
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

Fresno, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fresno, CA is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,217 per month in Fresno, CA 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 $1,568 in Fresno, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Fresno, CA and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,811 in Fresno, CA and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 55% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Fresno, CA at $2,811. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fresno, CA 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, Fresno, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.