Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, LA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,868 in Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,868

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,868 per month in Monroe, LA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Monroe, LA $1,868
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,845 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Monroe, LA $2,845
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,822 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Monroe, LA $3,822
Phuket $2,845

Monroe, LA costs about 55% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monroe, LA sits 38% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 $16.80

$4.40 ฿147

281.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 $39.32

$32.26 ฿1,078

21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$8.76 ฿293

16.32%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$2.83 ฿94.5

8.83%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$0.90 ฿30.14

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.47 ฿15.56

417.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.55 ฿85.2

58.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.83 ฿128

61.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.73 ฿57.7

-36.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.47 ฿49.11

86.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.51 ฿50.6

82.12%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.17 ฿72.7

41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$19.70 ฿658

-55.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.34 ฿112

138.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$11.16 ฿373

40.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.85 ฿95.1

76.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.70 ฿56.9

-16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.19 ฿73.3

96.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.05 ฿68.4

85.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.45 ฿48.57

87.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.38 ฿46.16

87.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.07 ฿35.69

36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.51 ฿16.91

264.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.26 ฿142

86.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 $13.25

$18.58 ฿621

-28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.78 ฿59.7

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.85 ฿95.2

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.01 ฿101

-15.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.06 ฿35.34

44.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.83 $23.83

$3.86 ฿129

517.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.45 ฿48.45

-37.93%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

4.88%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-0.94%

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

$171 $171

$96.4 ฿3,221

77.37%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$11.04 ฿369

381.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$17.14 ฿573

267.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 $47.06

$52.2 ฿1,744

-9.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$7.81 ฿261

65.30%

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

$807 $807

$556 ฿18.6K

45.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

64.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.69 $40.69

$64.2 ฿2,146

-36.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.06 $38.06

$28.69 ฿959

32.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 $63.3

$95.4 ฿3,187

-33.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 $99.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

13.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 $984

$737 ฿24.6K

33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$462 ฿15.5K

75.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$2,095 ฿70.0K

1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,201 ฿40.1K

34.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-46.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,703 $3,703

$501 ฿16.7K

639.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Monroe, LA: 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

Monroe, LA

$812 43.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 43.1% $350

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, LA

$325 17.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 17.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, LA

$287 15.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 56.6% $163

Eating Out

Monroe, LA

$252 13.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 51.9% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, LA

$109 5.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, LA

$73 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7% $5.1

Getting Around

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 288% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Monroe, LA 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 640% higher in Monroe, LA, 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 $39.00 in Monroe, LA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

08:44 8:44 AM

12 h ahead of Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 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

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Between locations

Monroe, LA Phuket 15,390 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, LA
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

Monroe, LA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monroe, LA costs about 55% 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 $2,802 per month in Monroe, LA 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 $39.00 in Monroe, LA and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Monroe, LA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Monroe, LA at $1,868. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monroe, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA. 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, Monroe, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.