Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and College Station, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,165 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
104

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in College Station, TX

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 College Station, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,165 in College Station, TX.

Phuket $1,278
College Station, TX $2,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,186 in College Station, TX.

Phuket $2,216
College Station, TX $3,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,206 in College Station, TX.

Phuket $3,154
College Station, TX $4,206

Living in Phuket costs roughly 41% less than in College Station, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, College Station, TX is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.78 $14.78

-69.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$78.5 $78.5

-58.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.92 $11.92

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.61 $5.61

-49.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.81 $2.81

-69.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.80 $1.80

-72.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.88 $4.88

-47.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.72 $7.72

-52.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.82 $0.82

102.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.31 $3.31

-55.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.80 $3.80

-60.53%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.90 $2.90

-27.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.18 $12.18

56.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.34 $9.34

-64.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.01 $13.01

-16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$6.32 $6.32

-53.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.56 $1.56

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$6.46 $6.46

-65.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.78 $4.78

-56.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.99 $3.99

-62.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.97 $2.97

-53.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.83 $1.83

-41.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.86 $1.86

-72.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.96 $9.96

-57.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.17 $14.17

32.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 $1.77

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.90 $3.90

-27.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.03 $1.03

40.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$45.74 $45.74

23.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$9.98 $9.98

-69.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.82 $1.82

-43.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$58.9 $58.9

-93.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.97 $0.97

51.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.39%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

3.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$179 $179

-46.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$39.26 $39.26

-71.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$55.7 $55.7

-69.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$24.49 $24.49

174.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.46 $17.46

-38.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.97 $10.97

-31.63%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$740 $740

-35.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$17.9K $17.9K

-37.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$59.9 $59.9

4.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$38.65 $38.65

-26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$84.9 $84.9

11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$121 $121

-29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,267 $1,267

-43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$986 $986

-50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,848 $1,848

4.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,531 $1,531

-6.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,392 $2,392

74.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,994 $1,994

52.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,377 $4,377

-88.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.57

-15.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for College Station, TX: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

College Station, TX

$986 45.6% 101% $495

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

College Station, TX

$374 17.3% 40.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

College Station, TX

$274 12.6% 120% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

College Station, TX

$137 6.3% 12.5% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

College Station, TX

$280 12.9% 130% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

College Station, TX

$46 2.1% 43.5% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

College Station, TX

$69 3.2% 2.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,267 in College Station, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in College Station, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $374 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

23:33 11:33 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

120,511

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket College Station, TX 15,450 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
College Station, TX

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 College Station, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in College Station, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,267 in College Station, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in College Station, TX runs roughly 19% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $740 in College Station, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,165 in College Station, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. 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, College Station, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.