Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
Learn more

Monrovia, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $2,704
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $4,049 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $4,049
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $5,394 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $5,394
Phuket $2,845

Monrovia, CA costs about 124% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monrovia, CA sits 100% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$4.40 ฿147

466.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$32.26 ฿1,078

213.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$8.76 ฿293

33.11%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$2.83 ฿94.5

98.23%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$0.90 ฿30.14

197.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.47 ฿15.56

319.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.55 ฿85.2

222.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 $9.63

$3.83 ฿128

151.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.73 ฿57.7

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.47 ฿49.11

297.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.51 ฿50.6

180.13%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$2.17 ฿72.7

127.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$19.70 ฿658

-37.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.92 $20.92

$3.34 ฿112

526.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$11.16 ฿373

25.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.85 ฿95.1

97.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.70 ฿56.9

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.19 ฿73.3

95.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.05 ฿68.4

209.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.45 ฿48.57

150.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.38 ฿46.16

153.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.07 ฿35.69

124.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.51 ฿16.91

345.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$4.26 ฿142

173.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$18.58 ฿621

-20.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.78 ฿59.7

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.85 ฿95.2

8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

-13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.01 ฿101

53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.06 ฿35.34

70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.58 $35.58

$3.86 ฿129

821.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.45 ฿48.45

10.34%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.30%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-1.40%

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

$218 $218

$96.4 ฿3,221

126.29%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$11.04 ฿369

556.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$17.14 ฿573

316.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 $39.11

$52.2 ฿1,744

-25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$7.81 ฿261

50.96%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$556 ฿18.6K

250.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

267.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 $73.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.92 $40.92

$28.69 ฿959

42.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-15.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$88.0 ฿2,940

94.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$737 ฿24.6K

113.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$462 ฿15.5K

167.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,095 ฿70.0K

18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,201 ฿40.1K

70.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 $2,557

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-26.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-6.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: 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

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 62.6% $773

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 43.7% $209

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 68.1% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 65.6% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 24.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 8.1% $5.1

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 83.8% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Monrovia, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Monrovia, CA versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

14 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Monrovia, CA Phuket 13,970 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,056 per month in Monrovia, CA 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 $101 in Monrovia, CA 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 78% more in Monrovia, CA, 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 Monrovia, CA at $2,704. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,704 in Monrovia, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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