Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,266 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,266

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,266 in Lexington, KY versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Lexington, KY $2,266
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Lexington, KY versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Lexington, KY $3,326
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Lexington, KY versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Lexington, KY $4,386
Phuket $3,154

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lexington, KY is 66% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 $12.76

$4.47 ฿151

185.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 $57.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

76.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$8.81 ฿297

1.48%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$2.83 ฿95.4

73.85%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$0.87 ฿29.42

189.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.49 ฿16.66

330.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.56 ฿86.3

100.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.68 ฿124

67.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.66 ฿56.0

-56.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.46 ฿49.32

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.50 ฿50.5

159.33%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.09 ฿70.5

68.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$19.07 ฿643

-46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$3.30 ฿111

213.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.91 ฿368

29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.93 ฿98.9

87.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.69 ฿57.0

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.25 ฿75.8

146.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.08 ฿70.1

113.94%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.51 ฿51.0

169.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.38 ฿46.54

131.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 ฿35.97

97.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$0.52 ฿17.51

513.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 $8.81

$4.20 ฿142

109.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 $13.18

$18.79 ฿634

-29.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.82 ฿61.5

48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.84 ฿95.9

46.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 ฿49.00

-28.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

$56.7 ฿1,912

-48.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.02 ฿102

68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.47 ฿49.78

-36.73%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

1.90%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-1.44%

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

$192 $192

$96.4 ฿3,252

99.52%

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

$108 $108

$11.26 ฿380

854.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$16.85 ฿569

345.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 $27.36

$67.2 ฿2,269

-59.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.72 $29.72

$10.73 ฿362

176.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.94 $14.94

$7.50 ฿253

99.20%

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

$2,240 $2,240

$476 ฿16.1K

370.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

123.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$62.4 ฿2,105

-18.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 $31.75

$28.41 ฿959

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$94.3 ฿3,182

22.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$85.8 ฿2,896

78.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$716 ฿24.2K

138.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$491 ฿16.6K

105.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$1,927 ฿65.0K

38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,431 ฿48.3K

17.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-45.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-35.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,152 $4,152

$502 ฿17.0K

726.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.57

22.44%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$1K 44.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.3% $517

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$385 17%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$375 16.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.8% $250

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$245 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$57 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 43.6% $25

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 82.7% $32

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 $1,710 in Lexington, KY and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lexington, KY vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

14:23 2:23 PM

12 h ahead of Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Phuket 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lexington, KY is about 8.3 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: $1,710 in Lexington, KY versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $57 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,266 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,266 in Lexington, KY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lexington, KY. 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, Lexington, KY and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Lexington, KY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.