Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey Park, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Monterey Park, CA
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Monterey Park, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,869

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Monterey Park, CA $2,869
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,188 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Monterey Park, CA $4,188
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,507 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Monterey Park, CA $5,507
Phuket $2,845

Living in Monterey Park, CA is roughly 137% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterey Park, CA is 112% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.99 $25.99

$4.40 ฿147

490.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

148.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$8.76 ฿293

70.78%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$2.83 ฿94.5

115.19%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$0.90 ฿30.14

240.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.47 ฿15.56

465.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.55 ฿85.2

207.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$3.83 ฿128

159.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.73 ฿57.7

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.47 ฿49.11

232.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.51 ฿50.6

212.58%

Eggs

$5.60 $5.60

$2.17 ฿72.7

158.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$19.70 ฿658

-42.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.34 ฿112

166.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.39 $19.39

$11.16 ฿373

73.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.85 ฿95.1

61.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.70 ฿56.9

31.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.19 ฿73.3

85.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.05 ฿68.4

174.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.45 ฿48.57

127.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.38 ฿46.16

108.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.07 ฿35.69

86.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.51 ฿16.91

378.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.80 $11.80

$4.26 ฿142

177.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$18.58 ฿621

-20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.78 ฿59.7

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.85 ฿95.2

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.26 ฿75.6

-1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.01 ฿101

0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.06 ฿35.34

77.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.72 $32.72

$3.86 ฿129

747.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.45 ฿48.45

2.76%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

11.68%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.42%

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

$269 $269

$96.4 ฿3,221

179.27%

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

$87.3 $87.3

$11.04 ฿369

690.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.1 $80.1

$17.14 ฿573

367.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$52.2 ฿1,744

-19.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$18.11 $18.11

$7.81 ฿261

131.88%

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

$1,202 $1,202

$556 ฿18.6K

116.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K $32.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

179.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 $63.8

$64.2 ฿2,146

-0.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$28.69 ฿959

89.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$95.4 ฿3,187

25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 $214

$88.0 ฿2,940

142.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$737 ฿24.6K

117.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$462 ฿15.5K

181.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,556 $2,556

$2,095 ฿70.0K

22.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 $2,133

$1,201 ฿40.1K

77.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,371 $2,371

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-32.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-11.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,585 $1,585

$501 ฿16.7K

216.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Monterey Park, 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

Monterey Park, CA

$1.3K 45.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.4% $838

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey Park, CA

$437 15.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 71.5% $312

Groceries & Markets

Monterey Park, CA

$421 14.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 36.2% $153

Eating Out

Monterey Park, CA

$408 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 70.3% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey Park, CA

$203 7.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 38.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey Park, CA

$78 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Monterey Park, CA

$21 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 84.6% $18

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 $1,602 in Monterey Park, CA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterey Park, CA pays 217% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Monterey Park, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

14 h ahead of Monterey Park, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,269

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

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Monterey Park, CA Phuket 13,970 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterey Park, 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

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 137% lower than in Monterey Park, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 217% higher in Monterey Park, CA, 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: $1,602 in Monterey Park, CA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Monterey Park, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,869 per month in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Monterey Park, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Monterey Park, CA and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Monterey Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.