Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chicago, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chicago, IL

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 Chicago, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chicago, IL $3,037

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $4,518 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chicago, IL $4,518

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,999 in Chicago, IL, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chicago, IL $5,999

Phuket is about 58% cheaper than Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Chicago, IL is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.71 $20.71

-78.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$89.2 $89.2

-63.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.19 $13.19

-33.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.66 $5.66

-50.00%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.64 $2.64

-67.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.28 $2.28

-78.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.87 $6.87

-62.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.84 $8.84

-58.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.25 $1.25

32.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.72 $3.72

-60.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.39 $5.39

-72.17%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.74 $4.74

-55.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.84 $13.84

37.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.40 $14.40

-77.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.38 $18.38

-40.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.22 $5.22

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.98 $1.98

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.06 $4.06

-44.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.97 $4.97

-58.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.67 $2.67

-43.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.66 $2.66

-48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.24 $2.24

-52.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$3.13 $3.13

-83.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$13.82 $13.82

-69.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.88 $14.88

26.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.54 $2.54

-28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.51 $3.51

-19.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.43 $2.43

-40.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$73.5 $73.5

-22.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.18 $3.18

-5.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.39 $1.39

-26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$25.03 $25.03

-85.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.20 $1.20

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.58%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$194 $194

-50.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$69.5 $69.5

-83.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$61.6 $61.6

-72.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.90 $47.90

40.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.34 $27.34

-60.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.81 $17.81

-57.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,794 $1,794

-73.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$31.9K $31.9K

-64.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$67.0 $67.0

-6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$52.1 $52.1

-45.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$102 $102

-7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$144 $144

-40.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,526 $2,526

-71.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,578 $1,578

-68.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$4,738 $4,738

-59.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,693 $2,693

-46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,190 $4,190

-0.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,768 $2,768

9.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,931 $4,931

-89.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.81

-18.21%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52% 222% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7% 68% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7% 162% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4% 34.5% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4% 183% $223

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1% 32.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chicago, IL are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $89 in Chicago, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $447 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

08:01 8:01 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,746,388

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chicago, IL 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chicago, IL

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 Chicago, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $3,037 in Chicago, IL – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,555 in Chicago, IL. 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 $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Chicago, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $89 in Chicago, IL. 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 Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chicago, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.