Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 40.6% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 83.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 51.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 25.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$4.65 ฿148

224.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$46.11 ฿1,463

60.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$8.74 ฿277

4.23%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.04 ฿96.4

69.08%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$0.72 ฿22.85

241.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.39 ฿12.41

356.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.44 ฿77.4

106.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.79 ฿120

88.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.14 ฿68.0

-58.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.86 ฿59.0

45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.19 ฿69.4

123.29%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.25 ฿71.2

74.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$19.73 ฿626

-52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 $10.50

$3.79 ฿120

177.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 $16.32

$13.55 ฿430

20.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.25 ฿103

4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.67 ฿53.0

-27.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.39 ฿75.9

11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.09 ฿66.4

130.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.53 ฿48.50

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.51 ฿47.89

86.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.99 ฿31.37

96.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.51 ฿16.33

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.18 $9.18

$4.27 ฿136

114.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$20.31 ฿644

-22.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.79 ฿56.8

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.77 ฿87.8

69.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.40 ฿44.54

41.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 $15.81

$11.70 ฿371

35.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.11 ฿98.7

41.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.99 ฿31.55

125.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.99 $41.99

$13.73 ฿436

205.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.32 ฿41.84

-38.64%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$27.2K ฿863.9K

-6.37%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-25.34%

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

$220 $220

$120 ฿3,819

82.47%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$13.93 ฿442

267.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$18.31 ฿581

312.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.87 $48.87

$60.9 ฿1,933

-19.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$17.23 ฿547

14.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 $11.99

$8.71 ฿276

37.66%

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

$1,248 $1,248

$698 ฿22.1K

78.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$15.7K ฿499.1K

54.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$57.6 ฿1,828

16.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.11 $48.11

$34.24 ฿1,086

40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$113 ฿3,590

-10.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$84.8 ฿2,690

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 $1,209

$604 ฿19.2K

100.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 $1,095

$436 ฿13.8K

150.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 $2,359

$2,057 ฿65.2K

14.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 $1,559

$1,498 ฿47.5K

4.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,792 $3,792

$4,252 ฿134.9K

-10.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 $1,918

$2,988 ฿94.8K

-35.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,695 $3,695

$529 ฿16.8K

598.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.33

20.64%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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