Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montgomery, AL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,354 in Montgomery, AL, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Montgomery, AL
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Montgomery, AL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Montgomery, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,354

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,354 in Montgomery, AL versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Montgomery, AL $2,354
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,197 in Montgomery, AL versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Montgomery, AL $3,197
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,039 in Montgomery, AL versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Montgomery, AL $4,039
Phuket $2,867

Living in Montgomery, AL is roughly 95% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montgomery, AL is 74% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.11 $16.11

$4.58 ฿153

251.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$32.48 ฿1,086

71.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 $10.30

$8.55 ฿286

20.47%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$2.72 ฿91.0

97.06%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$0.94 ฿31.25

178.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.49 ฿16.39

322.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.59 ฿86.6

68.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.83 ฿128

27.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.74 ฿58.1

-51.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.43 ฿47.82

151.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.53 ฿51.0

33.99%

Eggs

$3.14 $3.14

$2.17 ฿72.7

44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$19.15 ฿640

-58.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$3.30 ฿110

123.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 $14.27

$11.14 ฿372

28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.95 ฿98.5

34.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.68 ฿56.1

-23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.30 ฿76.8

-14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.13 ฿71.3

95.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.53 ฿51.1

103.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.36 ฿45.55

95.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.12 ฿37.44

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.55 ฿18.24

296.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$4.26 ฿142

108.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$18.19 ฿608

-17.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.74 ฿58.2

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.79 ฿93.3

38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.22 ฿74.1

-8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 $45.02

$22.06 ฿737

104.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.91 ฿97.3

-13.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.01 ฿33.79

58.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.54 $25.54

$3.83 ฿128

566.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.49 ฿49.85

-39.60%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

18.93%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-2.86%

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

$309 $309

$99.4 ฿3,321

211.16%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$11.28 ฿377

349.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$17.36 ฿580

317.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 $37.83

$52.3 ฿1,747

-27.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 $28.52

$10.85 ฿362

162.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$7.57 ฿253

29.59%

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

$1,380 $1,380

$558 ฿18.7K

147.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K $13.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

19.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.94 $48.94

$62.9 ฿2,102

-22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.52 $35.52

$28.58 ฿955

24.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

-10.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$88.1 ฿2,943

9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$729 ฿24.4K

76.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 $1,084

$460 ฿15.4K

135.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-24.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 $1,455

$1,222 ฿40.8K

19.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,368 $1,368

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-60.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 $1,309

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-47.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 $3,632

$493 ฿16.5K

636.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

5.57

17.41%

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

Last update for Montgomery, AL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montgomery, AL

$1.1K 46%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 57.6% $624

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montgomery, AL

$432 18.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 70.4% $304

Groceries & Markets

Montgomery, AL

$322 13.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 16.9% $54

Eating Out

Montgomery, AL

$274 11.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 55.8% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Montgomery, AL

$120 5.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Montgomery, AL

$64 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 39% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Montgomery, AL

$57 2.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 17.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,287 in Montgomery, AL and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montgomery, AL pays 637% 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: $56.0 in Montgomery, AL vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montgomery, AL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

19:54 7:54 PM

12 h ahead of Montgomery, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,603

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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

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Between locations

Montgomery, AL Phuket 15,510 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Montgomery, 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

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

Montgomery, AL and Phuket differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,354 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 637% higher in Montgomery, AL, 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: $1,287 in Montgomery, AL versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $56.0 in Montgomery, AL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,354 per month in Montgomery, AL versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,354 in Montgomery, AL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Montgomery, AL. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montgomery, AL 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 95% less than in Montgomery, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.