Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ketchikan, AK and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Ketchikan, AK
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Ketchikan, AK Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ketchikan, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Ketchikan, AK $3,104
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,242 in Ketchikan, AK versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Ketchikan, AK $4,242
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,380 in Ketchikan, AK versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Ketchikan, AK $5,380
Phuket $3,115

Living in Ketchikan, AK is roughly 140% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ketchikan, AK is 130% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.76 $27.76

$4.39 ฿148

532.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 $82.4

$32.31 ฿1,090

155.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 $11.47

$8.70 ฿294

31.84%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.72 ฿91.9

87.13%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$0.93 ฿31.38

191.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.50 ฿16.85

306.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 $7.57

$2.53 ฿85.4

199.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$3.63 ฿122

103.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.74 ฿58.7

0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.45 ฿48.93

144.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.50 ฿50.7

184.67%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.17 ฿73.3

98.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$19.09 ฿644

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$3.40 ฿115

244.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$10.90 ฿368

59.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.94 ฿99.2

68.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.69 ฿57.1

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.19 ฿74.0

99.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.12 ฿71.6

125.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.46 ฿49.19

84.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.37 ฿46.14

147.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.08 ฿36.29

102.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.55 ฿18.40

341.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$4.43 ฿149

122.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$18.25 ฿616

-18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.77 ฿59.8

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.88 ฿97.2

26.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.45 ฿48.82

37.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 $59.1

$54.9 ฿1,851

7.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.51 ฿51.0

159.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.78 ฿26.17

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.88 $28.88

$3.84 ฿129

652.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.49 ฿50.2

-19.46%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

10.40%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

-2.64%

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

$200 $200

$97.8 ฿3,299

104.05%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$11.29 ฿381

409.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$135 $135

$17.19 ฿580

685.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 $40.43

$68.3 ฿2,305

-40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 $17.98

$7.43 ฿251

141.99%

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

$1,219 $1,219

$530 ฿17.9K

129.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K $19.5K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

3.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$61.7 ฿2,080

-7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$28.25 ฿953

54.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 $82.9

$96.0 ฿3,238

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$86.8 ฿2,928

38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 $1,781

$721 ฿24.3K

147.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$509 ฿17.2K

217.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,950 ฿65.8K

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 $2,156

$1,397 ฿47.1K

54.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,323 $3,323

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-20.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,412 $3,412

$3,298 ฿111.3K

3.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,559 $4,559

$492 ฿16.6K

827.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.57

18.31%

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

Last update for Ketchikan, AK: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ketchikan, AK

$1.6K 52.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 68.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Ketchikan, AK

$413 13.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 35.3% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ketchikan, AK

$392 12.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 67.8% $266

Eating Out

Ketchikan, AK

$389 12.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 69.3% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Ketchikan, AK

$137 4.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 10.3% $14

Getting Around

Ketchikan, AK

$79 2.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 16.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ketchikan, AK

$76 2.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 8.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ketchikan, AK pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Ketchikan, AK vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ketchikan, AK

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

16 h ahead of Ketchikan, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,200

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Ketchikan, AK Phuket 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Ketchikan, AK
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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

Ketchikan, AK vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK and $1,294 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ketchikan, AK is about 9.3 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: $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,219 in Ketchikan, AK versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Ketchikan, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ketchikan, AK. 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, Ketchikan, AK and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Ketchikan, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.