Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maui, HI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $4,747 in Maui, HI, rent and utilities included – about $41,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

229

Cost of Living Index in Maui, HI
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Maui, HI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,747

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,747 per month in Maui, HI vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Maui, HI $4,747
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $6,648 per month in Maui, HI vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Maui, HI $6,648
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $8,550 per month in Maui, HI vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Maui, HI $8,550
Phuket $3,154

Maui, HI costs about 271% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maui, HI sits 249% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.62 $35.62

$4.47 ฿151

696.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$32.41 ฿1,093

269.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$8.81 ฿297

72.99%

Cappuccino

$6.86 $6.86

$2.83 ฿95.4

142.40%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$0.87 ฿29.41

252.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.49 ฿16.65

446.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$2.56 ฿86.3

217.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 $9.17

$3.68 ฿124

149.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.66 ฿55.9

32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$8.86 $8.86

$1.46 ฿49.31

506.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$1.50 ฿50.5

474.67%

Eggs

$8.75 $8.75

$2.09 ฿70.5

318.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.46 $27.46

$19.07 ฿643

44.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$3.30 ฿111

360.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.21 $22.21

$10.91 ฿368

103.57%

Apples (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$2.93 ฿98.9

243.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.69 ฿57.0

31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.25 ฿75.8

348.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 $7.98

$2.08 ฿70.0

283.65%

Potato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.51 ฿51.0

349.67%

Onion (1kg)

$7.82 $7.82

$1.38 ฿46.52

466.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.07 ฿35.96

354.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$0.52 ฿17.51

582.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.92 $16.92

$4.20 ฿142

302.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.74 $19.74

$18.79 ฿634

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$2.84 ฿95.8

175.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.45 ฿48.98

91.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$56.7 ฿1,912

76.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$3.02 ฿102

228.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.02 ฿34.33

-6.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.47 ฿49.76

-11.56%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

40.61%

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

$33.2K $33.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

24.47%

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

$395 $395

$96.4 ฿3,251

309.58%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$11.26 ฿380

446.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$16.85 ฿568

334.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$67.2 ฿2,268

-56.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.50 ฿253

99.73%

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

$1,674 $1,674

$476 ฿16.1K

251.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K $17.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

51.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 $89.8

$62.4 ฿2,104

43.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$28.41 ฿958

91.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 $131

$94.3 ฿3,181

39.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 $203

$85.8 ฿2,895

136.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 $2,283

$716 ฿24.2K

218.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 $2,611

$491 ฿16.6K

431.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,532 $4,532

$1,927 ฿65.0K

135.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,841 $3,841

$1,431 ฿48.3K

168.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K $14.3K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

243.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,220 $9,220

$3,045 ฿102.7K

202.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,712 $5,712

$502 ฿16.9K

1037.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

5.57

17.06%

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

Last update for Maui, HI: 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

Maui, HI

$2.6K 55%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 81.2% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Maui, HI

$711 15%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 62.5% $444

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maui, HI

$529 11.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 76.5% $405

Eating Out

Maui, HI

$495 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 75.4% $373

Clothing & Footwear

Maui, HI

$215 4.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.4% $94

Getting Around

Maui, HI

$126 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 43.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Maui, HI

$60 1.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 38.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,283 in Maui, HI 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.

Salaries in Maui, HI are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Maui, HI versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $711 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Maui, HI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

17 h ahead of Maui, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,452

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maui, HI Phuket 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Maui, HI
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

Maui, HI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,747 in Maui, HI, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 73% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,120 per month in Maui, HI 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 $2,283 in Maui, HI.

Kindergarten costs $1,674 per month in Maui, HI and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% more in Maui, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Maui, HI at $4,747. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maui, HI 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.

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