Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Houston, TX $2,625
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Houston, TX $3,794
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Houston, TX $4,963
Phuket $3,154

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 105% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Houston, TX is 93% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 $20.40

$4.47 ฿151

356.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$32.41 ฿1,094

131.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$8.81 ฿297

11.46%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$2.83 ฿95.5

85.16%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$0.87 ฿29.43

212.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.49 ฿16.67

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.56 ฿86.4

141.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.68 ฿124

116.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.66 ฿56.0

-49.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.46 ฿49.35

121.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.50 ฿50.6

173.33%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$2.09 ฿70.5

55.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$19.07 ฿644

-41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$3.30 ฿111

283.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$10.91 ฿368

50.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.93 ฿99.0

40.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.69 ฿57.1

-13.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.25 ฿75.8

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.08 ฿70.1

76.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.51 ฿51.0

45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.38 ฿46.56

96.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ฿35.99

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.52 ฿17.52

380.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$4.20 ฿142

140.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$18.79 ฿634

-22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.82 ฿61.5

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.84 ฿95.9

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.45 ฿49.03

-13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$56.7 ฿1,913

31.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.02 ฿102

-5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.02 ฿34.36

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$3.69 ฿125

548.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 ฿49.81

-34.01%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

28.57%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.15%

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

$198 $198

$96.4 ฿3,254

105.36%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$11.26 ฿380

478.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$16.85 ฿569

347.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 $35.73

$67.2 ฿2,270

-46.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.98 $20.98

$10.73 ฿362

95.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.50 ฿253

100.80%

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

$1,901 $1,901

$476 ฿16.1K

299.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K $22.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

96.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 $49.81

$62.4 ฿2,106

-20.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 $47.04

$28.41 ฿959

65.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$94.3 ฿3,184

9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$85.8 ฿2,898

9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$716 ฿24.2K

143.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$491 ฿16.6K

165.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 $3,449

$1,927 ฿65.1K

79.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,431 ฿48.3K

43.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 $2,659

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-36.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-41.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$502 ฿17.0K

754.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.57

20.29%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.3% $813

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$373 14.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$338 12.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63.2% $214

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$322 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.2% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$132 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.9% $10

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$90 3.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 21.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$66 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 24.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

12 h ahead of Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Houston, TX Phuket 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Houston, TX is about 8.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,742 in Houston, TX versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Houston, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.