Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Missoula, MT and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,609 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Missoula, MT versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Missoula, MT $2,609
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Missoula, MT versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Missoula, MT $4,087
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,565 in Missoula, MT versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Missoula, MT $5,565
Phuket $3,115

Living in Missoula, MT is roughly 102% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Missoula, MT is 93% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 $16.73

$4.39 ฿148

281.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$32.31 ฿1,086

132.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.27 $9.27

$8.70 ฿293

6.55%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$2.72 ฿91.6

60.66%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$0.93 ฿31.28

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.50 ฿16.79

368.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.53 ฿85.1

131.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.63 ฿122

63.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.74 ฿58.5

-35.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.45 ฿48.77

137.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

232.00%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.17 ฿73.0

96.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$19.09 ฿642

29.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$3.40 ฿114

184.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 $18.98

$10.90 ฿366

74.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.94 ฿98.9

63.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.69 ฿56.9

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$2.19 ฿73.8

197.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.12 ฿71.4

75.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.46 ฿49.03

59.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.37 ฿45.99

116.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.08 ฿36.17

123.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.55 ฿18.34

609.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.50 $10.50

$4.43 ฿149

137.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.82 $24.82

$18.25 ฿614

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.77 ฿59.6

11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.88 ฿96.8

52.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.51 ฿50.9

239.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 $4.99

$0.78 ฿26.08

539.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 $39.29

$3.84 ฿129

923.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.49 ฿50.0

-26.85%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

20.19%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-6.84%

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

$139 $139

$97.8 ฿3,288

41.93%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$11.29 ฿380

366.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$17.19 ฿578

302.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.22 $49.22

$68.3 ฿2,297

-27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 $22.25

$10.92 ฿367

103.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.43 ฿250

85.06%

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

$2,009 $2,009

$530 ฿17.8K

278.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-5.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$61.7 ฿2,073

7.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 $44.46

$28.25 ฿950

57.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$96.0 ฿3,228

8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$86.8 ฿2,919

71.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$721 ฿24.2K

111.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 $1,324

$509 ฿17.1K

160.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,992 $2,992

$1,950 ฿65.6K

53.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,397 ฿47.0K

89.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 $4,211

$4,192 ฿140.9K

0.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,475 $3,475

$3,298 ฿110.9K

5.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,666 $3,666

$492 ฿16.5K

645.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

5.57

22.80%

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

Last update for Missoula, MT: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 50.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 61.6% $815

Groceries & Markets

Missoula, MT

$477 18.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 44.1% $211

Eating Out

Missoula, MT

$277 10.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 56.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Missoula, MT

$261 10%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 51.5% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Missoula, MT

$164 6.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 25.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Missoula, MT

$77 2.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 8.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Missoula, MT

$30 * 1.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 120% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Missoula, MT and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Missoula, MT vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

02:10 2:10 AM

14 h ahead of Missoula, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,489

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Missoula, MT Phuket 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Missoula, MT
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

Missoula, MT vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Missoula, MT is about 7.5 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: $1,522 in Missoula, MT versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,009 in Missoula, MT versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in Missoula, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Missoula, MT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Missoula, MT and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Missoula, MT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.