Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport Beach, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $46,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

248

Cost of Living Index in Newport Beach, CA
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Newport Beach, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Newport Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$5,160

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,160 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $5,160
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $7,319 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $7,319
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $9,477 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $9,477
Phuket $3,154

Newport Beach, CA costs about 304% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newport Beach, CA sits 279% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.79 $24.79

$4.47 ฿151

454.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$32.41 ฿1,093

202.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.81 ฿297

68.67%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$2.83 ฿95.4

102.12%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$0.87 ฿29.40

247.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.49 ฿16.65

391.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 $7.31

$2.56 ฿86.3

185.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$3.68 ฿124

159.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.66 ฿55.9

-26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.46 ฿49.29

288.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.50 ฿50.5

181.33%

Eggs

$5.12 $5.12

$2.09 ฿70.5

144.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$19.07 ฿643

-35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 $8.71

$3.30 ฿111

163.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 $14.03

$10.91 ฿368

28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.93 ฿98.8

57.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.69 ฿57.0

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.25 ฿75.7

75.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.08 ฿70.0

175.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.51 ฿51.0

139.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.38 ฿46.51

122.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 ฿35.95

97.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.52 ฿17.50

340.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.62 $11.62

$4.20 ฿142

176.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$18.79 ฿634

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.82 ฿61.4

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.84 ฿95.8

9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.02 ฿102

52.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.02 ฿34.32

78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.58 $36.58

$3.69 ฿124

891.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.47 ฿49.75

4.08%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

3.81%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-2.99%

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

$217 $217

$96.4 ฿3,250

125.65%

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

$80.8 $80.8

$11.26 ฿380

617.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$16.85 ฿568

308.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$117 $117

$67.2 ฿2,268

74.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.41 $28.41

$10.73 ฿362

164.77%

Cinema Ticket

$20.06 $20.06

$7.50 ฿253

167.47%

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

$1,746 $1,746

$476 ฿16.1K

266.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

224.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$62.4 ฿2,103

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.38 $41.38

$28.41 ฿958

45.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$94.3 ฿3,180

-15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$85.8 ฿2,894

21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,338 $4,338

$716 ฿24.1K

505.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,700 $3,700

$491 ฿16.6K

653.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,186 $7,186

$1,927 ฿65.0K

272.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,170 $6,170

$1,431 ฿48.3K

331.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K $16.2K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

287.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.0K $16.0K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

424.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,237 $6,237

$502 ฿16.9K

1141.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Newport Beach, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newport Beach, CA

$3.7K 71.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 86.7% $3.2K

Groceries & Markets

Newport Beach, CA

$404 7.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.1% $138

Eating Out

Newport Beach, CA

$389 7.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 68.7% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport Beach, CA

$367 7.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.1% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Newport Beach, CA

$157 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 47.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Newport Beach, CA

$129 2.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Newport Beach, CA

$14 * 0.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 415% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA versus $716 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 in Newport Beach, CA are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Newport Beach, CA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport Beach, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

15 h ahead of Newport Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,186

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Newport Beach, CA Phuket 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Newport Beach, 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

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

Yes – Newport Beach, CA is pricier by about 304%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,740 per month in Newport Beach, CA and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 75% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,746 per month in Newport Beach, CA and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Newport Beach, CA at $5,160. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newport Beach, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newport Beach, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.