Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Athens, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,669 in Athens, OH, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
Learn more

Athens, OH Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Athens, OH

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Athens, OH actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,669 in Athens, OH.

Phuket $1,208
Athens, OH $1,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,495 in Athens, OH.

Phuket $2,027
Athens, OH $2,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,320 in Athens, OH.

Phuket $2,845
Athens, OH $3,320

Living in Phuket costs roughly 28% less than in Athens, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Athens, OH is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$14.74 $14.74

-70.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$49.20 $49.20

-34.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.18 $10.18

-13.95%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.98 $4.98

-43.17%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.25 $2.25

-60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.41 $1.41

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.93 $4.93

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.03 $7.03

-45.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.69 $0.69

150.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.06 $2.06

-28.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.01 $3.01

-49.83%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.25 $4.25

-48.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.64 $12.64

55.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.63 $8.63

-61.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$16.20 $16.20

-31.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.60 $3.60

-20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.96 $0.96

77.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.79 $2.79

-21.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.96 $2.96

-30.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.69 $1.69

-14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.18 $2.18

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.66 $1.66

-35.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.92 $1.92

-73.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.09 $9.09

-53.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$14.83 $14.83

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.14 $2.14

-16.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.10 $3.10

-8.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.02 $1.02

121.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.86 $3.86

-22.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.27 $1.27

-16.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$25.15 $25.15

-84.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.87 $0.87

66.67%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$36.3K $36.3K

-27.41%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.1K $26.1K

3.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$150 $150

-35.62%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$29.86 $29.86

-63.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$48.41 $48.41

-64.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.85 $11.85

-34.09%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,476 $1,476

-62.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$19.5K $19.5K

-40.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$46.08 $46.08

39.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$45.56 $45.56

-37.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$65.4 $65.4

45.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$108 $108

-18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,313 $1,313

-43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$701 $701

-34.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,471 $1,471

42.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,216 $1,216

-1.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,644 $1,644

112.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,650 $1,650

52.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,377 $3,377

-85.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.59

-15.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens, OH: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Athens, OH

$701 42% 51.5% $238

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Athens, OH

$322 19.3% 19.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Athens, OH

$228 13.7% 83% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Athens, OH

$119 7.2% 4.1% $5.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Athens, OH

$262 15.7% 116% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4% 65% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9% 63.8% $25

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 $737 in Phuket and $1,313 in Athens, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 574% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $49.00 in Athens, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $322 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,452

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Athens, OH 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Athens, OH

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

Phuket vs Athens, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 574% lower in Athens, OH. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $1,313 in Athens, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Athens, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,669 in Athens, OH – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,669 in Athens, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Athens, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Athens, OH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Athens, OH 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 38% less than in Athens, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.