Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Independence, MO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,107 in Independence, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Independence, MO
Learn more

Independence, MO Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Independence, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,107

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in Independence, MO versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Independence, MO $2,107
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Independence, MO versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Independence, MO $3,070
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Independence, MO versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Independence, MO $4,033
Phuket $2,845

Living in Independence, MO is roughly 74% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Independence, MO is 56% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$4.40 ฿147

356.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 $77.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

139.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.67 $12.67

$8.76 ฿293

44.63%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$2.83 ฿94.5

81.98%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$0.90 ฿30.14

203.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.47 ฿15.56

317.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.55 ฿85.2

175.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.83 ฿128

92.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.73 ฿57.7

-36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.47 ฿49.11

115.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.51 ฿50.6

191.39%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.17 ฿72.7

96.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$19.70 ฿658

-41.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$3.34 ฿112

187.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 $13.69

$11.16 ฿373

22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.85 ฿95.1

58.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.19 ฿73.3

101.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.05 ฿68.4

103.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.45 ฿48.57

115.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.38 ฿46.16

105.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.07 ฿35.69

80.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.51 ฿16.91

313.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 $7.96

$4.26 ฿142

86.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$18.58 ฿621

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.78 ฿59.7

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.85 ฿95.2

39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.01 ฿101

-17.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.06 ฿35.34

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.39 $25.39

$3.86 ฿129

557.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 ฿48.45

-32.41%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

22.21%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-4.44%

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

$252 $252

$96.4 ฿3,221

161.04%

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

$64.3 $64.3

$11.04 ฿369

482.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$17.14 ฿573

320.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$7.81 ฿261

90.40%

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

$962 $962

$556 ฿18.6K

73.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

67.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$64.2 ฿2,146

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.72 $39.72

$28.69 ฿959

38.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$95.4 ฿3,187

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$88.0 ฿2,940

40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 $1,004

$737 ฿24.6K

36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$462 ฿15.5K

82.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 $2,045

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-2.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 $1,303

$1,201 ฿40.1K

8.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,495 $1,495

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-57.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,516 $3,516

$501 ฿16.7K

602.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.57

17.77%

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

Last update for Independence, MO: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Independence, MO

$843 40%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 45.2% $381

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Independence, MO

$388 18.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 67.9% $263

Groceries & Markets

Independence, MO

$366 17.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 26.6% $97

Eating Out

Independence, MO

$329 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.2% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Independence, MO

$143 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Independence, MO

$30 * 1.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 128% $38

Getting Around

Independence, MO

$8.8 * 0.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 350% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,004 in Independence, MO and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, MO pays 602% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Independence, MO vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Independence, MO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

12 h ahead of Independence, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Independence, MO Phuket 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Independence, MO
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

Independence, MO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Independence, MO and Phuket differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,107 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 602% higher in Independence, MO, 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: $1,004 in Independence, MO versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Independence, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,107 per month in Independence, MO versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,107 in Independence, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Independence, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Independence, MO and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Independence, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.