Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houma, LA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,071 in Houma, LA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,071

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Houma, LA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Houma, LA $2,071
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,003 per month in Houma, LA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,003
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,936 per month in Houma, LA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,936
Phuket $3,154

Houma, LA costs about 62% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Houma, LA sits 52% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$4.47 ฿151

343.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.72 $49.72

$32.41 ฿1,094

53.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$8.81 ฿297

38.02%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$2.83 ฿95.5

89.75%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$0.87 ฿29.43

145.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.49 ฿16.67

236.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.56 ฿86.4

20.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.68 ฿124

33.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.46 ฿49.35

168.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.50 ฿50.6

240.00%

Eggs

$1.72 $1.72

$2.09 ฿70.5

-17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$19.07 ฿644

-46.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$3.30 ฿111

210.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$10.91 ฿368

39.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$2.93 ฿99.0

80.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.69 ฿57.1

-23.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.25 ฿75.8

136.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.08 ฿70.1

93.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.51 ฿51.0

36.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.38 ฿46.56

127.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ฿35.99

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.52 ฿17.52

388.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$4.20 ฿142

105.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$18.79 ฿634

-31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.82 ฿61.5

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.84 ฿95.9

34.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.02 ฿102

14.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.02 ฿34.36

42.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.46 $34.46

$3.69 ฿125

833.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.47 ฿49.81

-39.46%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

23.30%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.42%

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

$151 $151

$96.4 ฿3,254

56.60%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$11.26 ฿380

539.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 $47.11

$16.85 ฿569

179.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.18 $27.18

$67.2 ฿2,270

-59.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.32 $12.32

$7.50 ฿253

64.27%

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

$1,553 $1,553

$476 ฿16.1K

226.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-7.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$62.4 ฿2,106

-9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.54 $43.54

$28.41 ฿959

53.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 $85.4

$94.3 ฿3,184

-9.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$85.8 ฿2,898

40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 $1,043

$716 ฿24.2K

45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 $924

$491 ฿16.6K

88.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-18.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,431 ฿48.3K

1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,438 $1,438

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-65.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,483 $1,483

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-51.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,802 $3,802

$502 ฿17.0K

656.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Houma, LA: 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

Houma, LA

$924 44.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46.8% $433

Groceries & Markets

Houma, LA

$378 18.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 29.5% $111

Eating Out

Houma, LA

$300 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.4% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houma, LA

$270 13%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.9% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Houma, LA

$137 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Houma, LA

$52 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 58.7% $30

Getting Around

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 560% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,043 in Houma, LA 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 Houma, LA are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Houma, LA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

12 h ahead of Houma, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,657

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houma, LA Phuket 15,740 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Houma, LA
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

Houma, LA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Houma, LA is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Houma, LA 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 $1,043 in Houma, LA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,071 in Houma, LA and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $1,553 per month in Houma, LA and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Houma, LA at $2,071. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Houma, LA 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 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, Houma, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.