Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Key West, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $4,808 in Key West, FL, rent and utilities included – about $43,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

233

Cost of Living Index in Key West, FL
Learn more

Key West, FL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$4,808

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,808 per month in Key West, FL vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Key West, FL $4,808
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $7,043 per month in Key West, FL vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Key West, FL $7,043
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $9,278 per month in Key West, FL vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Key West, FL $9,278
Phuket $2,867

Key West, FL costs about 298% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Key West, FL sits 256% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 $22.31

$4.58 ฿153

387.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$32.48 ฿1,086

202.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$8.55 ฿286

38.83%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$2.72 ฿91.0

67.65%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$0.94 ฿31.25

140.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.49 ฿16.39

287.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.59 ฿86.6

125.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.83 ฿128

78.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.74 ฿58.1

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.43 ฿47.82

157.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.53 ฿51.0

340.52%

Eggs

$5.16 $5.16

$2.17 ฿72.7

137.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$19.15 ฿640

-39.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$3.30 ฿110

304.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.97 $23.97

$11.14 ฿372

115.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.95 ฿98.5

63.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.68 ฿56.1

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.30 ฿76.8

59.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.13 ฿71.3

142.72%

Potato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.53 ฿51.1

287.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.36 ฿45.55

144.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.12 ฿37.44

221.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.55 ฿18.24

381.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.26 ฿142

92.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$18.19 ฿608

-22.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.74 ฿58.2

14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.79 ฿93.3

-14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.22 ฿74.1

79.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.91 ฿97.3

34.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.01 ฿33.79

208.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 $30.20

$3.83 ฿128

688.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.49 ฿49.85

-38.93%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

36.75%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.25%

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

$215 $215

$99.4 ฿3,321

116.49%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$11.28 ฿377

382.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$17.36 ฿580

322.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 $79.6

$52.3 ฿1,747

52.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$7.57 ฿253

85.60%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$558 ฿18.7K

95.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

80.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$62.9 ฿2,102

-24.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.78 $41.78

$28.58 ฿955

46.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$96.1 ฿3,213

-25.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.1 $69.1

$88.1 ฿2,943

-21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$729 ฿24.4K

371.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,432 $3,432

$460 ฿15.4K

646.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,122 $7,122

$2,096 ฿70.0K

239.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,144 $6,144

$1,222 ฿40.8K

402.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,644 $9,644

$3,459 ฿115.6K

178.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,886 $9,886

$2,489 ฿83.2K

297.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,967 $5,967

$493 ฿16.5K

1110.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

5.57

14.54%

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

Last update for Key West, FL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Key West, FL

$3.4K 71.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 86.6% $3K

Groceries & Markets

Key West, FL

$457 9.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 41.5% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Key West, FL

$343 7.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 62.7% $215

Eating Out

Key West, FL

$328 6.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63.1% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Key West, FL

$108 2.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Key West, FL

$104 2.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.7% $20

Getting Around

Key West, FL

$35 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 9.8% $3.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,436 in Key West, FL versus $729 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 run about 1110% higher in Key West, FL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Key West, FL versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Key West, FL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

11 h ahead of Key West, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,684

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Key West, FL Phuket 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Key West, FL
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

Key West, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Key West, FL is pricier by about 298%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,211 per month in Key West, FL and $1,811 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Key West, FL and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Key West, FL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Key West, FL at $4,808. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Key West, FL 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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