Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Phuket $3,154

Living in Iowa City, IA is roughly 76% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iowa City, IA is 65% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$4.47 ฿151

238.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

107.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$8.81 ฿297

2.50%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$2.83 ฿95.4

95.76%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$0.87 ฿29.42

218.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.49 ฿16.66

355.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.56 ฿86.3

89.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.68 ฿124

93.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.66 ฿56.0

-44.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.46 ฿49.32

91.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.50 ฿50.5

34.67%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.09 ฿70.5

77.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$19.07 ฿643

-50.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$3.30 ฿111

222.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$10.91 ฿368

82.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.93 ฿98.9

15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.69 ฿57.0

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.25 ฿75.8

17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.08 ฿70.1

134.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.51 ฿51.0

31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.38 ฿46.54

71.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.07 ฿35.97

59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.52 ฿17.51

357.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$4.20 ฿142

141.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$18.79 ฿634

-27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.82 ฿61.5

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.84 ฿95.9

59.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.02 ฿102

29.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.02 ฿34.34

93.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$3.69 ฿125

1083.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 ฿49.78

-32.65%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

1.50%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-3.41%

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

$271 $271

$96.4 ฿3,252

181.73%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$11.26 ฿380

356.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$16.85 ฿569

384.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$67.2 ฿2,269

-55.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$10.73 ฿362

83.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$7.50 ฿253

84.80%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$476 ฿16.1K

171.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

110.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$62.4 ฿2,105

3.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$28.41 ฿959

74.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$94.3 ฿3,182

4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$85.8 ฿2,896

34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$716 ฿24.2K

73.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$491 ฿16.6K

104.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$1,927 ฿65.0K

0.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$1,431 ฿48.3K

14.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-15.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-40.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$502 ฿17.0K

660.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51% $512

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 69.2% $280

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.3% $85

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 42.9% $25

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 413% $57

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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

13 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Iowa City, IA Phuket 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Iowa City, IA is about 7.6 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: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Iowa City, IA. 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, Iowa City, IA and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.