Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,060

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Los Angeles, CA $4,060
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,104 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Los Angeles, CA $6,104
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,148 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Los Angeles, CA $8,148
Phuket $3,154

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 218% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Los Angeles, CA is 198% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.02 $27.02

$4.47 ฿151

504.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$32.41 ฿1,094

273.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$8.81 ฿297

72.64%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$2.83 ฿95.5

104.24%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$0.87 ฿29.43

335.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.49 ฿16.67

448.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 $7.76

$2.56 ฿86.4

203.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 $9.98

$3.68 ฿124

171.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.66 ฿56.0

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.46 ฿49.35

220.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.50 ฿50.6

205.33%

Eggs

$5.35 $5.35

$2.09 ฿70.5

155.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.27 $11.27

$19.07 ฿644

-40.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$3.30 ฿111

389.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$10.91 ฿368

78.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.93 ฿99.0

78.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.69 ฿57.1

37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.25 ฿75.8

105.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.08 ฿70.1

167.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

123.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.38 ฿46.56

112.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ฿35.99

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.52 ฿17.52

367.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$4.20 ฿142

185.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$18.79 ฿634

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.82 ฿61.5

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.84 ฿95.9

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.45 ฿49.03

18.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 $105

$56.7 ฿1,913

84.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.02 ฿102

0.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.02 ฿34.36

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 $32.19

$3.69 ฿125

772.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.47 ฿49.81

6.80%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

28.80%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

0.98%

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

$280 $280

$96.4 ฿3,254

190.88%

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

$78.4 $78.4

$11.26 ฿380

596.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$16.85 ฿569

369.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 $71.2

$67.2 ฿2,270

5.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.73 ฿362

13.79%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 $18.32

$7.50 ฿253

144.27%

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

$1,722 $1,722

$476 ฿16.1K

261.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

181.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 $91.6

$62.4 ฿2,106

46.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$28.41 ฿959

131.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$94.3 ฿3,184

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 $210

$85.8 ฿2,898

144.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 $2,547

$716 ฿24.2K

255.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 $2,295

$491 ฿16.6K

367.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,372 $5,372

$1,927 ฿65.1K

178.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,158 $4,158

$1,431 ฿48.3K

190.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,171 $7,171

$4,175 ฿141.0K

71.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,923 $6,923

$3,045 ฿102.8K

127.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,204 $4,204

$502 ฿17.0K

737.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

5.57

23.16%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: 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

Los Angeles, CA

$2.3K 56.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 78.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$462 11.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 42.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 71.6% $313

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$416 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 70.7% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.1% $96

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 43% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$108 2.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 23.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Los Angeles, CA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

03:48 3:48 AM

14 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

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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Los Angeles, CA Phuket 13,960 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
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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

Los Angeles, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Los Angeles, CA is about 8.4 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: $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 46% less than in Los Angeles, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,722 in Los Angeles, CA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.