Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katy, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,451 in Katy, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Katy, TX
Learn more

Katy, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Katy, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,451

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,451 per month in Katy, TX vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Katy, TX $2,451
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Katy, TX vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Katy, TX $3,581
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,711 per month in Katy, TX vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Katy, TX $4,711
Phuket $3,115

Katy, TX costs about 89% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Katy, TX sits 81% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 $16.88

$4.39 ฿148

284.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$32.31 ฿1,086

87.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 $8.85

$8.70 ฿293

1.72%

Cappuccino

$3.49 $3.49

$2.72 ฿91.6

28.31%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$0.93 ฿31.28

112.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.50 ฿16.79

326.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.53 ฿85.1

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.63 ฿122

52.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.74 ฿58.5

-45.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.45 ฿48.77

143.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.50 ฿50.5

104.00%

Eggs

$3.05 $3.05

$2.17 ฿73.0

40.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.09 ฿642

-31.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$3.40 ฿114

184.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 $16.72

$10.90 ฿366

53.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.94 ฿98.9

30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.69 ฿56.9

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.19 ฿73.8

42.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.12 ฿71.4

53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.46 ฿49.03

43.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.37 ฿45.99

81.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.08 ฿36.17

64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.55 ฿18.34

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$4.43 ฿149

118.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$18.25 ฿614

-30.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.77 ฿59.6

-3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.88 ฿96.8

-45.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.45 ฿48.66

39.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 $107

$54.9 ฿1,845

94.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.51 ฿50.9

77.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.78 ฿26.08

102.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 $35.07

$3.84 ฿129

813.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.49 ฿50.0

-42.95%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

20.33%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-7.12%

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

$246 $246

$97.8 ฿3,288

151.17%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$11.29 ฿380

421.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$17.19 ฿578

311.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.59 $25.59

$68.3 ฿2,297

-62.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 $25.19

$10.92 ฿367

130.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.43 ฿250

60.30%

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

$1,009 $1,009

$530 ฿17.8K

90.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-5.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$61.7 ฿2,073

-14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.00 $43.00

$28.25 ฿950

52.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$96.0 ฿3,228

-9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$86.8 ฿2,919

25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 $1,544

$721 ฿24.2K

114.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$509 ฿17.1K

133.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,750 $2,750

$1,950 ฿65.6K

41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,397 ฿47.0K

45.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,098 $2,098

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-49.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 $1,542

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-53.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,102 $4,102

$492 ฿16.5K

734.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

5.57

15.08%

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

Last update for Katy, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katy, TX

$1.2K 48.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 57.1% $677

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katy, TX

$375 15.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 66.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Katy, TX

$332 13.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 19.7% $66

Eating Out

Katy, TX

$251 10.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 52.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Katy, TX

$131 5.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 6.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Katy, TX

$125 5.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 47.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Katy, TX

$49 2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 68.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Katy, TX versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Katy, TX are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Katy, TX versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Katy, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

05:55 5:55 AM

13 h ahead of Katy, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,102

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Katy, TX Phuket 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Katy, 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

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

Katy, TX costs about 89% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,677 per month in Katy, TX and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,544 in Katy, TX.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Katy, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Katy, TX and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Katy, TX at $2,451. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Katy, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Katy, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.