Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manitowoc, WI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,482 in Manitowoc, WI, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Manitowoc, WI
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Manitowoc, WI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Manitowoc, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,482

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,482 per month in Manitowoc, WI vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Manitowoc, WI $2,482
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,595 per month in Manitowoc, WI vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Manitowoc, WI $3,595
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,708 per month in Manitowoc, WI vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Manitowoc, WI $4,708
Phuket $2,845

Manitowoc, WI costs about 105% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manitowoc, WI sits 83% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.59 $21.59

$4.40 ฿147

390.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.3 $91.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

182.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$8.76 ฿293

48.86%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$2.83 ฿94.5

97.17%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$0.90 ฿30.14

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.47 ฿15.56

393.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.55 ฿85.2

179.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.97 $8.97

$3.83 ฿128

134.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.73 ฿57.7

-55.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.47 ฿49.11

97.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.51 ฿50.6

239.74%

Eggs

$1.63 $1.63

$2.17 ฿72.7

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$19.70 ฿658

-34.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.34 ฿112

78.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$11.16 ฿373

38.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.85 ฿95.1

81.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.70 ฿56.9

13.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.19 ฿73.3

84.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.05 ฿68.4

137.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.45 ฿48.57

91.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.38 ฿46.16

101.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.07 ฿35.69

110.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.51 ฿16.91

486.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.26 ฿142

133.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.97 $9.97

$18.58 ฿621

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.78 ฿59.7

48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.85 ฿95.2

17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.01 ฿101

10.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.06 ฿35.34

29.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$3.86 ฿129

538.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.45 ฿48.45

-25.52%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

33.55%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-2.13%

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

$121 $121

$96.4 ฿3,221

25.90%

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

$69.4 $69.4

$11.04 ฿369

528.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$17.14 ฿573

251.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 $40.65

$52.2 ฿1,744

-22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.81 ฿261

52.50%

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

$1,654 $1,654

$556 ฿18.6K

197.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K $31.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

168.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 $66.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

2.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$28.69 ฿959

78.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$95.4 ฿3,187

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$88.0 ฿2,940

66.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 $1,689

$737 ฿24.6K

129.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$462 ฿15.5K

175.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,553 $2,553

$2,095 ฿70.0K

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 $1,883

$1,201 ฿40.1K

56.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,901 $2,901

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-16.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,458 $2,458

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-2.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,524 $3,524

$501 ฿16.7K

603.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Manitowoc, WI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manitowoc, WI

$1.3K 51.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 63.7% $813

Groceries & Markets

Manitowoc, WI

$356 14.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.5% $87

Eating Out

Manitowoc, WI

$353 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 65.6% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manitowoc, WI

$251 10.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 50.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Manitowoc, WI

$164 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 24.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Manitowoc, WI

$64 2.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 5.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Manitowoc, WI

$19 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 105% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,689 in Manitowoc, WI versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 604% higher in Manitowoc, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Manitowoc, WI versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manitowoc, WI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

12 h ahead of Manitowoc, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,635

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Manitowoc, WI Phuket 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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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

Manitowoc, WI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,482 in Manitowoc, WI, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,723 per month in Manitowoc, WI and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Manitowoc, WI and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Manitowoc, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Manitowoc, WI at $2,482. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manitowoc, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,482 in Manitowoc, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manitowoc, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.