Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mobile, AL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,077 in Mobile, AL, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Mobile, AL
Learn more

Mobile, AL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Mobile, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,077

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,077 per month in Mobile, AL vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Mobile, AL $2,077
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,172 per month in Mobile, AL vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Mobile, AL $3,172
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,267 per month in Mobile, AL vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Mobile, AL $4,267
Phuket $2,845

Mobile, AL costs about 72% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mobile, AL sits 53% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.01 $24.01

$4.40 ฿147

445.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 $60.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

86.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.76 ฿293

61.64%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$2.83 ฿94.5

82.69%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$0.90 ฿30.14

138.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.47 ฿15.56

257.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.55 ฿85.2

79.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.46 $6.46

$3.83 ฿128

68.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.73 ฿57.7

-35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.47 ฿49.11

110.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$1.51 ฿50.6

260.26%

Eggs

$3.22 $3.22

$2.17 ฿72.7

48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$19.70 ฿658

-47.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$3.34 ฿112

234.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.38 $19.38

$11.16 ฿373

73.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.85 ฿95.1

30.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.70 ฿56.9

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.19 ฿73.3

12.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.05 ฿68.4

47.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.45 ฿48.57

46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.38 ฿46.16

175.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.07 ฿35.69

127.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.51 ฿16.91

282.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.36 $8.36

$4.26 ฿142

96.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$18.58 ฿621

-52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.78 ฿59.7

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.85 ฿95.2

9.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.26 ฿75.6

-43.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.57 $40.57

$22.10 ฿738

83.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.01 ฿101

79.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.06 ฿35.34

17.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.75 $16.75

$3.86 ฿129

333.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.45 ฿48.45

-33.10%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

0.99%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-4.18%

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

$165 $165

$96.4 ฿3,221

70.97%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$11.04 ฿369

537.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 $67.2

$17.14 ฿573

292.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.68 $38.68

$52.2 ฿1,744

-25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.08 $5.08

$11.16 ฿373

-54.48%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 $13.36

$7.81 ฿261

71.06%

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

$401 $401

$556 ฿18.6K

-27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.60 $39.60

$64.2 ฿2,146

-38.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$28.69 ฿959

21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$95.4 ฿3,187

3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.0 ฿2,940

30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 $1,133

$737 ฿24.6K

53.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 $817

$462 ฿15.5K

76.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 $1,516

$1,201 ฿40.1K

26.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,506 $1,506

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-56.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,553 $1,553

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-38.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$501 ฿16.7K

555.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Mobile, AL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mobile, AL

$817 39.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 43.4% $354

Groceries & Markets

Mobile, AL

$358 17.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.9% $89

Eating Out

Mobile, AL

$348 16.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 65.1% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mobile, AL

$302 14.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 58.8% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Mobile, AL

$130 6.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mobile, AL

$65 3.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Mobile, AL

$57 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 31.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,133 in Mobile, AL 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 555% higher in Mobile, AL, 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 $60.0 in Mobile, AL versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mobile, AL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

12 h ahead of Mobile, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

187,041

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

Mobile, AL Phuket 15,670 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mobile, AL
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

Mobile, AL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mobile, AL costs about 72% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,115 per month in Mobile, AL 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,077 in Mobile, AL and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 72%.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Mobile, AL at $2,077. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mobile, AL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,077 in Mobile, AL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Mobile, AL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.