Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Gatos, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $41,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

232

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,787 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $4,787
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $7,200 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $7,200
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $9,613 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $9,613
Phuket $3,115

Los Gatos, CA costs about 270% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Los Gatos, CA sits 254% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.47 $25.47

$4.39 ฿148

480.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 $98.0

$32.31 ฿1,086

203.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$8.70 ฿293

75.17%

Cappuccino

$6.51 $6.51

$2.72 ฿91.6

139.34%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$0.93 ฿31.28

213.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.50 ฿16.79

414.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.53 ฿85.1

212.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.63 ฿122

121.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.74 ฿58.5

-26.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.45 ฿48.77

189.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.50 ฿50.5

218.00%

Eggs

$6.62 $6.62

$2.17 ฿73.0

205.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.66 $24.66

$19.09 ฿642

29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$3.40 ฿114

241.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.90 ฿366

20.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.94 ฿98.9

81.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.69 ฿56.9

87.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.19 ฿73.8

124.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.12 ฿71.4

179.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.46 ฿49.03

125.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.37 ฿45.99

189.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.08 ฿36.17

182.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.55 ฿18.34

378.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$4.43 ฿149

170.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 $13.10

$18.25 ฿614

-28.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.77 ฿59.6

20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.88 ฿96.8

-14.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.51 ฿50.9

172.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.78 ฿26.08

134.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 $35.36

$3.84 ฿129

820.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.49 ฿50.0

5.37%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

3.95%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

1.85%

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

$371 $371

$97.8 ฿3,288

278.85%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$11.29 ฿380

419.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 $64.3

$17.19 ฿578

273.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$145 $145

$68.3 ฿2,297

112.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$16.95 $16.95

$7.43 ฿250

128.13%

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

$2,150 $2,150

$530 ฿17.8K

305.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

7.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$61.7 ฿2,073

-16.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 $39.25

$28.25 ฿950

38.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 $75.2

$96.0 ฿3,228

-21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 $60.2

$86.8 ฿2,919

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,504 $3,504

$721 ฿24.2K

386.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,124 $3,124

$509 ฿17.1K

513.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,054 $6,054

$1,397 ฿47.0K

333.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,481 $3,481

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-16.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

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

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 83.7% $2.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 74.4% $367

Groceries & Markets

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 43.2% $203

Eating Out

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 70.5% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 53.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 20.7% $21

Getting Around

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 399% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Los Gatos, CA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

15 h ahead of Los Gatos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,222

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Los Gatos, CA Phuket 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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

Los Gatos, CA costs about 270% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,181 per month in Los Gatos, CA and $1,940 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Los Gatos, CA and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Los Gatos, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,787. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.