Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panama City, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,409 in Panama City, FL, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Panama City, FL
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Panama City, FL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Panama City, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,409

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,409 in Panama City, FL versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Panama City, FL $2,409
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,287 in Panama City, FL versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Panama City, FL $3,287
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,165 in Panama City, FL versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Panama City, FL $4,165
Phuket $3,154

Living in Panama City, FL is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Panama City, FL is 77% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.74 $18.74

$4.47 ฿151

319.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 $54.0

$32.41 ฿1,092

66.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$8.81 ฿297

37.46%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$2.83 ฿95.3

97.88%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$0.87 ฿29.37

232.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.49 ฿16.64

246.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.56 ฿86.2

99.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.68 ฿124

93.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.66 ฿55.9

-45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.46 ฿49.25

136.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.50 ฿50.4

77.33%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$2.09 ฿70.4

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 $10.78

$19.07 ฿642

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$3.30 ฿111

251.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 $14.64

$10.91 ฿368

34.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.93 ฿98.7

39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.69 ฿56.9

-11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.25 ฿75.7

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.08 ฿70.0

106.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.51 ฿50.9

105.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.38 ฿46.47

105.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.07 ฿35.91

95.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 ฿17.49

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.31 $9.31

$4.20 ฿142

121.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

$18.79 ฿633

-35.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.82 ฿61.4

-6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.84 ฿95.7

35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.45 ฿48.93

0.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.52 $35.52

$56.7 ฿1,909

-37.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.02 ฿102

-15.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.02 ฿34.29

48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.17 $26.17

$3.69 ฿124

609.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.70

-33.33%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

2.70%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-2.78%

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

$169 $169

$96.4 ฿3,247

75.77%

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

$44.38 $44.38

$11.26 ฿380

294.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.5 $59.5

$16.85 ฿568

253.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 $24.35

$67.2 ฿2,266

-63.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 $12.87

$7.50 ฿253

71.60%

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

$618 $618

$476 ฿16.0K

29.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K $13.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

23.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.26 $48.26

$62.4 ฿2,102

-22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 $40.43

$28.41 ฿957

42.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 $84.5

$94.3 ฿3,178

-10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 $95.9

$85.8 ฿2,892

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 $921

$716 ฿24.1K

28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 $1,248

$491 ฿16.5K

154.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$1,431 ฿48.2K

16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,269 $3,269

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-21.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 $2,694

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-11.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,980 $3,980

$502 ฿16.9K

692.37%

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 Panama City, FL: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panama City, FL

$1.2K 51.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.7% $757

Groceries & Markets

Panama City, FL

$354 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.8% $88

Eating Out

Panama City, FL

$312 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.9% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panama City, FL

$273 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Panama City, FL

$121 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.7% $0.8

Getting Around

Panama City, FL

$51 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 37.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Panama City, FL

$50 2.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 64.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $921 in Panama City, FL and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City, FL pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Panama City, FL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Panama City, FL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

12 h ahead of Panama City, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,484

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Panama City, FL Phuket 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Panama City, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Panama City, FL. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Panama City, FL is about 7.9 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: $921 in Panama City, FL versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in Panama City, FL versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Panama City, FL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,409 in Panama City, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Panama City, FL. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Panama City, FL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.