Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orem, UT and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,457 in Orem, UT, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Orem, UT
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Orem, UT Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Orem, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,457

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,457 in Orem, UT versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Orem, UT $2,457
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Orem, UT versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Orem, UT $3,366
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,274 in Orem, UT versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Orem, UT $4,274
Phuket $3,154

Living in Orem, UT is roughly 92% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Orem, UT is 81% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.05 $15.05

$4.47 ฿151

236.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$32.41 ฿1,094

88.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$8.81 ฿297

26.45%

Cappuccino

$4.58 $4.58

$2.83 ฿95.5

61.84%

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

$1.81 $1.81

$0.87 ฿29.43

108.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.49 ฿16.67

210.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.56 ฿86.4

127.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.68 ฿124

86.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.46 ฿49.35

119.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

61.33%

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$2.09 ฿70.5

46.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.09 $14.09

$19.07 ฿644

-26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$3.30 ฿111

303.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$10.91 ฿368

72.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.93 ฿99.0

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.69 ฿57.1

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

14.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.08 ฿70.1

114.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.38 ฿46.56

-6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.07 ฿35.99

57.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.52 ฿17.52

271.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 $9.50

$4.20 ฿142

126.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$18.79 ฿634

-19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.82 ฿61.5

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.84 ฿95.9

3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.45 ฿49.03

77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 $84.6

$56.7 ฿1,913

49.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.02 ฿102

-51.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.02 ฿34.36

-4.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 $20.11

$3.69 ฿125

444.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 ฿49.81

-25.85%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-5.03%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-2.96%

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

$167 $167

$96.4 ฿3,254

72.96%

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

$43.36 $43.36

$11.26 ฿380

285.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$16.85 ฿569

260.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 $22.61

$67.2 ฿2,270

-66.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.50 ฿253

101.47%

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

$948 $948

$476 ฿16.1K

99.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,866 $9,866

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-12.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

-13.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.64 $41.64

$28.41 ฿959

46.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 $84.0

$94.3 ฿3,184

-10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$85.8 ฿2,898

53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 $1,648

$716 ฿24.2K

130.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 $1,261

$491 ฿16.6K

156.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$1,927 ฿65.1K

14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$1,431 ฿48.3K

16.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 $2,717

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-34.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,182 $2,182

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-28.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,677 $3,677

$502 ฿17.0K

632.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

5.57

22.62%

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

Last update for Orem, UT: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Orem, UT

$1.3K 51.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.1% $770

Groceries & Markets

Orem, UT

$366 * 14.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orem, UT

$271 11%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54% $146

Eating Out

Orem, UT

$265 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Orem, UT

$140 5.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.1% $18

Getting Around

Orem, UT

$101 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 30.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Orem, UT

$53 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 55.6% $29

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 $1,648 in Orem, UT and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orem, UT pays about 7.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Orem, UT vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Orem, UT

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

04:49 4:49 AM

13 h ahead of Orem, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,129

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Orem, UT Phuket 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Orem, UT
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

Orem, UT vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Orem, UT is about 7.3 times higher, 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: $1,648 in Orem, UT versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Orem, UT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $61 in Orem, UT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,457 in Orem, UT, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Orem, UT. 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, Orem, UT and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Orem, UT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.