Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,556 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,556

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,556 in Merced, CA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Merced, CA $2,556
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,713 in Merced, CA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Merced, CA $3,713
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,870 in Merced, CA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Merced, CA $4,870
Phuket $3,154

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 100% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merced, CA is 88% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 $17.37

$4.47 ฿151

288.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.27 $40.27

$32.41 ฿1,093

24.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$8.81 ฿297

35.19%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$2.83 ฿95.4

104.59%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$0.87 ฿29.41

179.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.49 ฿16.65

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.95 $8.95

$2.56 ฿86.3

249.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$3.68 ฿124

172.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.66 ฿55.9

-25.30%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.46 ฿49.31

197.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.50 ฿50.5

169.33%

Eggs

$5.82 $5.82

$2.09 ฿70.5

178.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$19.07 ฿643

1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$3.30 ฿111

334.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 $21.51

$10.91 ฿368

97.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.93 ฿98.9

48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.69 ฿57.0

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.25 ฿75.8

150.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.08 ฿70.0

163.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.51 ฿51.0

133.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.38 ฿46.52

119.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 ฿35.96

119.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.52 ฿17.51

390.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$4.20 ฿142

181.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$18.79 ฿634

-15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.82 ฿61.5

32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.84 ฿95.8

16.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.45 ฿48.98

6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

7.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.02 ฿102

0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.02 ฿34.33

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 $26.85

$3.69 ฿125

627.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.47 ฿49.76

-9.52%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

36.12%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-2.79%

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

$240 $240

$96.4 ฿3,251

148.81%

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

$29.53 $29.53

$11.26 ฿380

162.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 $84.6

$16.85 ฿568

402.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 $33.09

$67.2 ฿2,268

-50.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 $13.86

$10.73 ฿362

29.17%

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 $16.14

$7.50 ฿253

115.20%

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

$1,870 $1,870

$476 ฿16.1K

292.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

247.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 $60.7

$62.4 ฿2,104

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$28.41 ฿958

83.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$94.3 ฿3,181

8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$85.8 ฿2,895

41.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$716 ฿24.2K

129.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$491 ฿16.6K

124.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$1,927 ฿65.0K

2.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 $1,889

$1,431 ฿48.3K

32.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,939 $2,939

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-29.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,932 $2,932

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-3.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 $3,357

$502 ฿16.9K

568.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.57

14.18%

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

Last update for Merced, 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

Merced, CA

$1.1K 43.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.4% $611

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$480 18.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44.6% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$354 13.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.8% $229

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.5% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$151 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.4% $29

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$79 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 10.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$65 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 25.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Merced, CA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Merced, CA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

15 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 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 →

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Merced, CA Phuket 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, CA
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,556 in Merced, CA and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Merced, CA is about 6.7 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: $1,641 in Merced, CA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,870 in Merced, CA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,556 in Merced, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Merced, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.