Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,222 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,222
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,215 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,215
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,209
Phuket $3,154

Galveston, TX costs about 74% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Galveston, TX sits 63% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.04 $22.04

$4.47 ฿151

393.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$32.41 ฿1,092

136.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$8.81 ฿297

37.57%

Cappuccino

$7.95 $7.95

$2.83 ฿95.3

180.92%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$0.87 ฿29.37

226.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.49 ฿16.64

261.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.56 ฿86.2

101.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.68 ฿124

10.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.66 ฿55.9

-51.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.46 ฿49.25

75.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.50 ฿50.4

87.33%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$2.09 ฿70.4

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$19.07 ฿642

-39.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$3.30 ฿111

189.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$10.91 ฿368

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.93 ฿98.7

86.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.69 ฿56.9

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.25 ฿75.7

41.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.08 ฿70.0

80.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.51 ฿50.9

41.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.38 ฿46.47

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.07 ฿35.91

68.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.52 ฿17.49

244.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 $9.91

$4.20 ฿142

135.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$18.79 ฿633

-41.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.82 ฿61.4

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.84 ฿95.7

-37.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.45 ฿48.93

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.77 $32.77

$56.7 ฿1,909

-42.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 $9.90

$3.02 ฿102

227.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.02 ฿34.29

78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$3.69 ฿124

1543.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 ฿49.70

-35.37%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

0.26%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-1.22%

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

$176 $176

$96.4 ฿3,247

82.85%

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

$42.42 $42.42

$11.26 ฿380

276.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.79 $39.79

$16.85 ฿568

136.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.89 $34.89

$67.2 ฿2,266

-48.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 $11.17

$7.50 ฿253

48.93%

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

$759 $759

$476 ฿16.0K

59.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K $18.2K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 $44.12

$62.4 ฿2,102

-29.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 $38.49

$28.41 ฿957

35.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$94.3 ฿3,178

-22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 $81.1

$85.8 ฿2,892

-5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$716 ฿24.1K

65.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 $1,059

$491 ฿16.5K

115.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$1,927 ฿64.9K

9.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,431 ฿48.2K

10.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,698 $2,698

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-35.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,158 $2,158

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-29.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 $4,045

$502 ฿16.9K

705.26%

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 Galveston, TX: 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.6% $568

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$360 16.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 66.2% $239

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$320 14.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$258 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 51.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$107 4.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.2% $15

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 18.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 43.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,186 in Galveston, TX 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 Galveston, TX are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Galveston, TX versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

15:59 3:59 PM

12 h ahead of Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Galveston, TX Phuket 15,650 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, TX
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

Galveston, TX vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,222 in Galveston, TX, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Galveston, TX 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 $1,186 in Galveston, TX.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,222 in Galveston, TX and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Galveston, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Galveston, TX at $2,222. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.