Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,170

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,170 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Long Beach, CA $3,170
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,689 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Long Beach, CA $4,689
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,209 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Long Beach, CA $6,209
Phuket $3,115

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 145% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Long Beach, CA is 134% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$4.39 ฿148

354.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$32.31 ฿1,090

150.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$8.70 ฿294

73.45%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$2.72 ฿91.9

122.43%

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

$3.45 $3.45

$0.93 ฿31.38

270.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.50 ฿16.85

384.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 $7.53

$2.53 ฿85.4

197.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 $9.64

$3.63 ฿122

165.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.74 ฿58.7

-39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.45 ฿48.93

186.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.50 ฿50.7

215.33%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.17 ฿73.3

119.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$19.09 ฿644

-32.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.28 $20.28

$3.40 ฿115

496.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$10.90 ฿368

43.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.94 ฿99.2

67.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.69 ฿57.1

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.19 ฿74.0

153.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.12 ฿71.6

179.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.46 ฿49.19

154.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.37 ฿46.14

64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.08 ฿36.29

84.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.55 ฿18.40

232.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$4.43 ฿149

167.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$18.25 ฿616

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.77 ฿59.8

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.88 ฿97.2

40.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.45 ฿48.82

-15.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$54.9 ฿1,851

19.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.51 ฿51.0

101.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.78 ฿26.17

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.98 $35.98

$3.84 ฿129

836.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.49 ฿50.2

6.71%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

5.21%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

4.00%

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

$170 $170

$97.8 ฿3,299

73.88%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$11.29 ฿381

487.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$17.19 ฿580

248.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.19 $36.19

$68.3 ฿2,305

-47.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$7.43 ฿251

104.58%

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

$1,936 $1,936

$530 ฿17.9K

265.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-5.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$61.7 ฿2,080

-6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 $39.27

$28.25 ฿953

39.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$96.0 ฿3,238

-4.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$86.8 ฿2,928

69.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$721 ฿24.3K

190.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 $1,759

$509 ฿17.2K

245.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$1,950 ฿65.8K

82.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,038 $3,038

$1,397 ฿47.1K

117.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 $7,121

$4,192 ฿141.4K

69.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,423 $6,423

$3,298 ฿111.3K

94.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,670 $4,670

$492 ฿16.6K

849.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 55.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 71.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$457 14.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 41.6% $190

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$358 11.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 66.6% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$296 9.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 57.4% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.8%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 18.6% $28

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$82 2.6%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 19.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$67 2.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 24.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,097 in Long Beach, CA and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Long Beach, CA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

15 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.63 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.97 THB (100 THB = 2.63 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Long Beach, CA Phuket 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,170 in Long Beach, CA and $1,294 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Long Beach, CA is about 9.5 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: $2,097 in Long Beach, CA versus $721 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 $81 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,170 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.