Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kahului, HI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $3,921 in Kahului, HI, rent and utilities included – about $32,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Kahului, HI
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Kahului, HI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kahului, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,921

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,921 in Kahului, HI versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Kahului, HI $3,921
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,707 in Kahului, HI versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Kahului, HI $5,707
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,492 in Kahului, HI versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Kahului, HI $7,492
Phuket $2,822

Living in Kahului, HI is roughly 230% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kahului, HI is 193% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$48.90 $48.90

$4.35 ฿146

1024.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$32.45 ฿1,087

131.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.62 $18.62

$8.42 ฿282

121.14%

Cappuccino

$7.03 $7.03

$2.81 ฿94.0

150.18%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$0.87 ฿29.29

220.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$0.46 ฿15.39

652.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

89.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$3.64 ฿122

109.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.71 ฿57.2

-16.37%

White Bread (500g)

$7.01 $7.01

$1.45 ฿48.42

383.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.74 $8.74

$1.56 ฿52.3

460.26%

Eggs

$6.52 $6.52

$2.10 ฿70.3

210.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$19.53 ฿654

-54.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$3.40 ฿114

347.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$11.14 ฿373

80.34%

Apples (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$2.83 ฿94.8

354.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.62 ฿54.3

67.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

Tomato (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$2.15 ฿71.9

529.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.78 ฿92.9

120.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.17 ฿72.6

-5.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.08 $45.08

$22.28 ฿746

102.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.74 $34.74

$3.71 ฿124

836.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.43 ฿47.88

-11.89%

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

$40.0K $40.0K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

51.72%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-0.01%

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

$297 $297

$96.7 ฿3,236

206.93%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$11.41 ฿382

515.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 $52.6

$17.11 ฿573

207.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

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

$555 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$63.4 ฿2,123

-13.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.98 $39.98

$28.61 ฿958

39.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 $94.5

$96.7 ฿3,238

-2.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$88.6 ฿2,967

38.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 $2,308

$735 ฿24.6K

214.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,251 $2,251

$458 ฿15.3K

391.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,955 $3,955

$2,102 ฿70.4K

88.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,772 $3,772

$1,187 ฿39.7K

217.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.7K $11.7K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

236.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K $11.8K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

373.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,765 $4,765

$501 ฿16.8K

851.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Kahului, HI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kahului, HI

$2.3K 57.3%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 79.7% $1.8K

Eating Out

Kahului, HI

$596 15.2%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 80% $477

Groceries & Markets

Kahului, HI

$469 * 11.9%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 42.8% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kahului, HI

$420 10.7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 70.2% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Kahului, HI

$141 3.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 11.3% $16

Getting Around

Kahului, HI

$53 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 26.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kahului, HI

- * 0%

Phuket

$68 5.7%

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 $2,308 in Kahului, HI and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kahului, HI pays 851% 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: $75.0 in Kahului, HI vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $469 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kahului, HI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

17 h ahead of Kahului, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,337

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kahului, HI Phuket 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kahului, HI
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

Kahului, HI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 230% lower than in Kahului, HI. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 851% higher in Kahului, HI, 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: $2,308 in Kahului, HI versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Kahului, HI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,921 per month in Kahului, HI versus $1,190 in Phuket – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $3,921 in Kahului, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kahului, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,190 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kahului, HI 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 230% less than in Kahului, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.