Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garden Grove, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,412 in Garden Grove, CA, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Garden Grove, CA despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Garden Grove, CA
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Garden Grove, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Garden Grove, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,412

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $1,412
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $2,264
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $3,115
Phuket $2,867

Garden Grove, CA costs about 17% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Garden Grove, CA sits 5% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.44 $25.44

$4.58 ฿153

455.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 $77.4

$32.48 ฿1,086

138.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$8.55 ฿286

33.80%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$2.72 ฿91.0

106.25%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$0.94 ฿31.25

190.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.49 ฿16.39

297.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 $7.42

$2.59 ฿86.6

186.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.42 $9.42

$3.83 ฿128

145.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.74 ฿58.1

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.43 ฿47.82

270.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.53 ฿51.0

185.62%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$2.17 ฿72.7

131.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$19.15 ฿640

-34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$3.30 ฿110

161.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 $14.19

$11.14 ฿372

27.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.95 ฿98.5

59.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.30 ฿76.8

73.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.13 ฿71.3

170.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.53 ฿51.1

138.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

122.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 ฿37.44

91.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.55 ฿18.24

305.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 $11.48

$4.26 ฿142

169.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$18.19 ฿608

-17.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.74 ฿58.2

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.79 ฿93.3

10.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.22 ฿74.1

126.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 $68.6

$22.06 ฿737

211.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.91 ฿97.3

53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.01 ฿33.79

87.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.49 $36.49

$3.83 ฿128

852.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.49 ฿49.85

2.68%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

36.60%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-2.66%

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

$216 $216

$99.4 ฿3,321

117.05%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$11.28 ฿377

523.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$17.36 ฿580

296.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 $14.85

$52.3 ฿1,747

-71.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.03 $20.03

$10.85 ฿362

84.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$7.57 ฿253

99.34%

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

$1,189 $1,189

$558 ฿18.7K

112.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K $42.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

268.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$62.9 ฿2,102

-1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.80 $40.80

$28.58 ฿955

42.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$96.1 ฿3,213

-15.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$88.1 ฿2,943

15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$729 ฿24.4K

202.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,518 $3,518

$2,096 ฿70.0K

67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,702 $4,702

$493 ฿16.5K

853.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Garden Grove, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Garden Grove, CA

$401 28.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 33.3% $133

Eating Out

Garden Grove, CA

$380 26.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 68.1% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garden Grove, CA

$355 25.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 63.9% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Garden Grove, CA

$129 9.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Garden Grove, CA

$103 7.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 62.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Garden Grove, CA

$45 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 49.7% $22

Accommodation & Living

Garden Grove, CA

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,206 in Garden Grove, CA versus $729 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 run about 854% higher in Garden Grove, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Garden Grove, CA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garden Grove, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

14 h ahead of Garden Grove, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,883

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Garden Grove, CA Phuket 14,000 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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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

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

Garden Grove, CA costs about 17% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,118 per month in Garden Grove, CA and $1,811 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,412 in Garden Grove, CA and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 211% less in Phuket. 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 $1,207, than in Garden Grove, CA at $1,412. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Garden Grove, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,412 in Garden Grove, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Garden Grove, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.