Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrill, WI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,669 in Merrill, WI, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Merrill, WI
Learn more

Merrill, WI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Merrill, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,669

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,669 per month in Merrill, WI vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Merrill, WI $2,669
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,917 per month in Merrill, WI vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Merrill, WI $3,917
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $5,164 per month in Merrill, WI vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Merrill, WI $5,164
Phuket $2,845

Merrill, WI costs about 121% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Merrill, WI sits 97% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$4.40 ฿147

352.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 $73.8

$32.26 ฿1,078

128.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$8.76 ฿293

30.25%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$2.83 ฿94.5

84.45%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$0.90 ฿30.14

203.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.47 ฿15.56

323.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.55 ฿85.2

128.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.83 ฿128

87.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.73 ฿57.7

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.47 ฿49.11

143.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.51 ฿50.6

184.77%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$2.17 ฿72.7

86.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$19.70 ฿658

-36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$3.34 ฿112

236.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$11.16 ฿373

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.85 ฿95.1

73.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.70 ฿56.9

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.19 ฿73.3

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.05 ฿68.4

133.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.45 ฿48.57

96.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.38 ฿46.16

119.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 ฿35.69

97.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.51 ฿16.91

329.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$4.26 ฿142

140.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$18.58 ฿621

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.78 ฿59.7

10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.85 ฿95.2

19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.26 ฿75.6

-9.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$22.10 ฿738

396.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.01 ฿101

5.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.06 ฿35.34

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.41 $30.41

$3.86 ฿129

687.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.45 ฿48.45

-33.10%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.50%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.03%

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

$197 $197

$96.4 ฿3,221

104.29%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$11.04 ฿369

425.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$17.14 ฿573

307.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.50 $41.50

$52.2 ฿1,744

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 $8.82

$11.16 ฿373

-20.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 $13.89

$7.81 ฿261

77.85%

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

$1,421 $1,421

$556 ฿18.6K

155.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

105.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

-17.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 $41.32

$28.69 ฿959

44.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 $90.2

$95.4 ฿3,187

-5.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$88.0 ฿2,940

32.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$737 ฿24.6K

120.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$462 ฿15.5K

180.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,535 $2,535

$2,095 ฿70.0K

20.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,201 ฿40.1K

78.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 $2,743

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-5.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,146 $7,146

$501 ฿16.7K

1327.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Merrill, WI: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrill, WI

$1.3K 48.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.3% $833

Groceries & Markets

Merrill, WI

$396 14.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 32.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrill, WI

$325 12.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 61.6% $200

Eating Out

Merrill, WI

$319 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 62% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Merrill, WI

$135 5.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 8.3% $11

Getting Around

Merrill, WI

$130 4.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 69.6% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Merrill, WI

$69 2.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,625 in Merrill, 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 1327% higher in Merrill, 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 $74.0 in Merrill, WI versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrill, WI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

12 h ahead of Merrill, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merrill, WI Phuket 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrill, WI
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

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

Yes – Merrill, WI is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,004 per month in Merrill, 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 $74.0 in Merrill, WI and $32.00 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 $2,669 in Merrill, WI and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 121%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Merrill, WI at $2,669. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merrill, WI 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 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, Merrill, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.