Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lufkin, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,251 in Lufkin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lufkin, TX
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Lufkin, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lufkin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,251 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Lufkin, TX $2,251
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,631 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Lufkin, TX $3,631
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,011 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Lufkin, TX $5,011
Phuket $3,154

Lufkin, TX costs about 76% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lufkin, TX sits 65% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$4.47 ฿151

348.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

139.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$8.81 ฿297

12.83%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$2.83 ฿95.5

93.99%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$0.87 ฿29.43

205.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.49 ฿16.67

375.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.56 ฿86.4

173.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 $7.51

$3.68 ฿124

104.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.46 ฿49.35

113.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.50 ฿50.6

164.67%

Eggs

$5.80 $5.80

$2.09 ฿70.5

177.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.97 $22.97

$19.07 ฿644

20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$3.30 ฿111

258.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.63 $19.63

$10.91 ฿368

79.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.93 ฿99.0

57.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.69 ฿57.1

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.08 ฿70.1

46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.51 ฿51.0

83.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.38 ฿46.56

81.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.07 ฿35.99

81.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.52 ฿17.52

469.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.20 ฿142

140.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$18.79 ฿634

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.84 ฿95.9

16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.45 ฿49.03

26.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 $58.7

$56.7 ฿1,913

3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.02 ฿102

0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.02 ฿34.36

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.47 $27.47

$3.69 ฿125

644.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.47 ฿49.81

-37.41%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

2.61%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-0.15%

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

$202 $202

$96.4 ฿3,254

109.52%

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

$47.10 $47.10

$11.26 ฿380

318.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 $56.1

$16.85 ฿569

232.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 $37.91

$67.2 ฿2,270

-43.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$7.50 ฿253

99.47%

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

$1,167 $1,167

$476 ฿16.1K

145.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K $26.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

137.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 $60.6

$62.4 ฿2,106

-2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 $38.64

$28.41 ฿959

36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$94.3 ฿3,184

-10.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 $66.4

$85.8 ฿2,898

-22.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 $1,152

$716 ฿24.2K

60.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$923 $923

$491 ฿16.6K

88.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,553 $2,553

$1,927 ฿65.1K

32.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 $2,066

$1,431 ฿48.3K

44.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,093 $3,093

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-25.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,079 $2,079

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-31.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Lufkin, TX: 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

Lufkin, TX

$923 41%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46.8% $432

Groceries & Markets

Lufkin, TX

$438 19.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 39.2% $172

Eating Out

Lufkin, TX

$326 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.7% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lufkin, TX

$305 13.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 59.2% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Lufkin, TX

$113 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Lufkin, TX

$79 3.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 10.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Lufkin, TX

$68 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,152 in Lufkin, TX 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Lufkin, TX versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $438 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lufkin, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

12 h ahead of Lufkin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,085

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 →

On the map

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Lufkin, TX Phuket 15,440 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Lufkin, TX
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

Lufkin, TX vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lufkin, TX costs about 76% 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 $3,377 per month in Lufkin, TX and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,152 in Lufkin, TX.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Lufkin, TX and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,251 in Lufkin, TX and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 43% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Lufkin, TX at $2,251. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lufkin, TX 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.