Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Crosse, WI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,217 in La Crosse, WI, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
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La Crosse, WI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $2,217
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,376 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $3,376
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,535 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $4,535
Phuket $3,154

La Crosse, WI costs about 74% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

La Crosse, WI sits 63% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 $15.24

$4.47 ฿151

240.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 $69.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

114.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$8.81 ฿297

22.93%

Cappuccino

$5.77 $5.77

$2.83 ฿95.5

103.89%

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

$2.10 $2.10

$0.87 ฿29.43

141.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$0.49 ฿16.67

140.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.56 ฿86.4

72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.68 ฿124

62.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.66 ฿56.0

-56.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.46 ฿49.35

67.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.50 ฿50.6

205.33%

Eggs

$2.48 $2.48

$2.09 ฿70.5

18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$19.07 ฿644

-46.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$3.30 ฿111

236.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 $16.42

$10.91 ฿368

50.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.93 ฿99.0

68.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.69 ฿57.1

-34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.25 ฿75.8

42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.08 ฿70.1

150.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.51 ฿51.0

29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.38 ฿46.56

70.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.07 ฿35.99

87.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.52 ฿17.52

230.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.20 ฿142

136.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 $10.81

$18.79 ฿634

-42.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.84 ฿95.9

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.45 ฿49.03

-31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.33 $35.33

$56.7 ฿1,913

-37.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.02 ฿102

16.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.02 ฿34.36

78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.84 $45.84

$3.69 ฿125

1142.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 ฿49.81

-38.10%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

23.16%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-8.42%

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

$208 $208

$96.4 ฿3,254

115.81%

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

$54.6 $54.6

$11.26 ฿380

385.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$16.85 ฿569

289.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 $40.79

$67.2 ฿2,270

-39.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.89 $3.89

$10.73 ฿362

-63.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 $11.96

$7.50 ฿253

59.47%

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

$888 $888

$476 ฿16.1K

86.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 $63.3

$62.4 ฿2,106

1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.6 $63.6

$28.41 ฿959

124.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 $77.5

$94.3 ฿3,184

-17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$85.8 ฿2,898

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 $774

$716 ฿24.2K

8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$491 ฿16.6K

107.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 $2,196

$1,927 ฿65.1K

13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$1,431 ฿48.3K

34.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,972 $1,972

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-52.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,965 $1,965

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-35.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,185 $4,185

$502 ฿17.0K

733.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.57

19.03%

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

Last update for La Crosse, WI: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Crosse, WI

$1K 45.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.7% $526

Groceries & Markets

La Crosse, WI

$340 15.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 21.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Crosse, WI

$328 14.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 62.1% $204

Eating Out

La Crosse, WI

$271 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

La Crosse, WI

$145 6.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

La Crosse, WI

$65 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 36% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $774 in La Crosse, WI versus $716 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 La Crosse, WI are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in La Crosse, WI versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

12 h ahead of La Crosse, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,680

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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La Crosse, WI Phuket 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

La Crosse, WI
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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

La Crosse, WI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,217 in La Crosse, WI, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in La Crosse, WI and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $774 in La Crosse, WI and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 28% more in La Crosse, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in La Crosse, WI 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 $1,278, than in La Crosse, WI at $2,217. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Crosse, WI 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, La Crosse, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.