Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Auburn, AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,013 in Auburn, AL, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, AL
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Auburn, AL Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Auburn, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Auburn, AL

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 Auburn, AL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,013 in Auburn, AL.

Phuket $1,208
Auburn, AL $2,013

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,941 in Auburn, AL.

Phuket $2,027
Auburn, AL $2,941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,870 in Auburn, AL.

Phuket $2,845
Auburn, AL $3,870

Living in Phuket costs roughly 40% less than in Auburn, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Auburn, AL is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$13.18 $13.18

-66.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$47.90 $47.90

-32.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.60 $10.60

-17.36%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.11 $5.11

-44.62%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.44 $2.44

-63.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.72 $1.72

-72.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.97 $4.97

-48.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.12 $6.12

-37.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.09 $1.09

58.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.64 $3.64

-59.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$5.53 $5.53

-72.69%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.28 $4.28

-49.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.81 $11.81

66.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.21 $6.21

-46.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.76 $10.76

3.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.99 $4.99

-42.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.19 $1.19

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.48 $2.48

-11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.86 $2.86

-28.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.85 $1.85

-21.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.20 $2.20

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.00 $2.00

-46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.85 $1.85

-72.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.67 $6.67

-36.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.42 $12.42

49.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.68 $1.68

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.11 $5.11

-44.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.78 $0.78

85.90%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$35.5K $35.5K

-24.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$207 $207

-53.52%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$54.6 $54.6

-79.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$64.1 $64.1

-73.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$64.5 $64.5

-19.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$15.19 $15.19

-48.58%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.99 $49.99

28.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$48.26 $48.26

-40.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$67.9 $67.9

40.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$65.5 $65.5

34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,288 $1,288

-42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$910 $910

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,090 $2,090

0.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,592 $1,592

-24.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,054 $2,054

69.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,059 $2,059

22.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$4,356 $4,356

-88.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.39

-12.83%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Auburn, AL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Auburn, AL

$910 45.2% 96.9% $448

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Auburn, AL

$325 16.2% 21.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Auburn, AL

$326 16.2% 162% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Auburn, AL

$104 5.2% 16.2% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Auburn, AL

$252 12.5% 108% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Auburn, AL

$95 4.7% 40% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Auburn, AL

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,288 in Auburn, AL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auburn, AL pays 770% 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 $48.00 in Auburn, AL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $325 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Auburn, AL

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

76,143

💱 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 Auburn, AL 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Auburn, AL

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 Auburn, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Auburn, AL differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $2,013 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 770% lower in Auburn, AL. 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 $1,288 in Auburn, AL. 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 $48.00 in Auburn, AL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $2,013 in Auburn, AL – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,013 in Auburn, AL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Auburn, 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, Phuket and Auburn, AL 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 67% less than in Auburn, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.