Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cedar Rapids, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,032 in Cedar Rapids, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Cedar Rapids, IA
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Cedar Rapids, IA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cedar Rapids, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cedar Rapids, IA

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 Cedar Rapids, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,032 in Cedar Rapids, IA, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Cedar Rapids, IA $2,032

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,053 in Cedar Rapids, IA, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Cedar Rapids, IA $3,053

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,074 in Cedar Rapids, IA, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Cedar Rapids, IA $4,074

Phuket is about 37% cheaper than Cedar Rapids, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Cedar Rapids, IA is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.97 $14.97

-70.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$70.5 $70.5

-54.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.80 $10.80

-18.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$5.73 $5.73

-50.61%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.82 $2.82

-69.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.85 $1.85

-73.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$4.57 $4.57

-43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.83 $5.83

-36.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.73 $0.73

127.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.45 $2.45

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$4.65 $4.65

-67.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.44 $2.44

-14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$14.35 $14.35

32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.92 $10.92

-69.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.61 $16.61

-34.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$5.09 $5.09

-42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.10 $1.10

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$5.29 $5.29

-57.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.58 $4.58

-54.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.63 $2.63

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.32 $2.32

-40.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.04 $2.04

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$2.22 $2.22

-76.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.90 $9.90

-57.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.90 $10.90

72.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.24 $2.24

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.27 $3.27

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.02 $1.02

42.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$29.96 $29.96

89.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.56 $3.56

-15.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.84 $1.84

-44.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$45.55 $45.55

-91.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.84 $0.84

75.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$33.3K $33.3K

-19.61%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.7K $26.7K

-0.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$204 $204

-52.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$54.7 $54.7

-79.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$69.9 $69.9

-75.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$70.8 $70.8

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$19.31 $19.31

-44.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.21 $13.21

-43.22%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$871 $871

-45.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$61.8 $61.8

0.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$63.4 $63.4

-55.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$128 $128

-26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$152 $152

-43.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,125 $1,125

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$732 $732

-32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,602 $1,602

20.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,228 $1,228

16.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,774 $1,774

135.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,492 $1,492

104.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,701 $3,701

-86.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.63

-15.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cedar Rapids, IA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$732 36% 49.1% $241

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$371 18.2% 39.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$329 16.2% 164% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$182 9% 49.6% $60

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$274 13.5% 125% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$97 4.8% 18.3% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cedar Rapids, IA

$47 2.3% 33.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,125 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cedar Rapids, IA are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $70 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $371 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Cedar Rapids, IA

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

137,710

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Cedar Rapids, IA 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cedar Rapids, IA

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 Cedar Rapids, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cedar Rapids, IA is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,048 in Cedar Rapids, IA. 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 $1,125 in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Cedar Rapids, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $70 in Cedar Rapids, IA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Cedar Rapids, IA at $2,032. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cedar Rapids, IA 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, Cedar Rapids, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.