Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hot Springs, AR and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,720 in Hot Springs, AR, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Hot Springs, AR
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Hot Springs, AR Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hot Springs, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,720

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,720 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $1,720
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $2,576
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $3,432
Phuket $3,154

Hot Springs, AR costs about 35% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hot Springs, AR sits 26% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 $16.83

$4.47 ฿151

276.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$32.41 ฿1,093

114.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 $9.35

$8.81 ฿297

6.13%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.83 ฿95.4

79.86%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$0.87 ฿29.41

228.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.49 ฿16.65

197.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.56 ฿86.3

99.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.68 ฿124

66.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.66 ฿55.9

-43.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.46 ฿49.31

108.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

32.00%

Eggs

$2.27 $2.27

$2.09 ฿70.5

8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$19.07 ฿643

-41.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$3.30 ฿111

277.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.35 $19.35

$10.91 ฿368

77.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.93 ฿98.9

20.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.69 ฿57.0

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.25 ฿75.8

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.08 ฿70.0

81.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.51 ฿51.0

19.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.38 ฿46.52

93.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.07 ฿35.96

115.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.52 ฿17.51

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.03 $9.03

$4.20 ฿142

115.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$18.79 ฿634

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.82 ฿61.5

37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.84 ฿95.8

57.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.45 ฿48.98

-19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.06 $28.06

$56.7 ฿1,912

-50.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.02 ฿102

-6.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.02 ฿34.33

118.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.47 ฿49.76

-41.50%

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

$17.2K $17.2K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-35.68%

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

$22.5K $22.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-15.61%

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

$174 $174

$96.4 ฿3,251

80.98%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$11.26 ฿380

397.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.93 $39.93

$16.85 ฿568

136.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.54 $34.54

$67.2 ฿2,268

-48.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 $9.86

$10.73 ฿362

-8.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 $9.87

$7.50 ฿253

31.60%

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

$609 $609

$476 ฿16.1K

28.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.08 $40.08

$62.4 ฿2,104

-35.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 $40.48

$28.41 ฿958

42.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$94.3 ฿3,181

4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 $79.9

$85.8 ฿2,895

-6.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 $717

$716 ฿24.2K

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 $591

$491 ฿16.6K

20.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 $1,068

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-44.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 $897

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-37.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,947 $1,947

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-53.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,001 $2,001

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-34.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 $3,558

$502 ฿16.9K

608.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Hot Springs, AR: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hot Springs, AR

$591 34.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 16.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Hot Springs, AR

$362 21.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.4% $96

Eating Out

Hot Springs, AR

$279 16.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hot Springs, AR

$270 15.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Hot Springs, AR

$117 6.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.4% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hot Springs, AR

$54 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 51.5% $28

Getting Around

Hot Springs, AR

$47 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 51.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in Hot Springs, AR 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 Hot Springs, AR are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Hot Springs, AR versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hot Springs, AR

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

21:09 9:09 PM

13 h ahead of Hot Springs, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,930

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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Highest

Between locations

Hot Springs, AR Phuket 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Hot Springs, 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

Hot Springs, AR vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hot Springs, AR costs about 35% 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 $2,580 per month in Hot Springs, AR and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $717 in Hot Springs, AR and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $609 per month in Hot Springs, AR and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Hot Springs, AR, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Hot Springs, AR at $1,720. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hot Springs, AR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,720 in Hot Springs, AR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Hot Springs, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.