Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Decatur, AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,929 in Decatur, AL, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, AL
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Decatur, AL Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Decatur, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Decatur, 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 Decatur, AL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,929 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Decatur, AL $1,929

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,715 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Decatur, AL $2,715

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,500 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Decatur, AL $3,500

Phuket is about 34% cheaper than Decatur, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Decatur, AL is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.73 $14.73

-69.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$42.83 $42.83

-24.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.02 $12.02

-26.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.44 $4.44

-36.26%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.27 $1.27

-31.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.59 $1.59

-69.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.10 $5.10

-49.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.91 $5.91

-37.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.50 $0.50

232.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.10 $3.10

-52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.03 $2.03

-26.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.60 $2.60

-19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.94 $7.94

140.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.70 $5.70

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.26 $12.26

-11.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.01 $3.01

-2.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.80 $1.80

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.70 $2.70

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.93 $1.93

7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.44 $1.44

4.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.61 $1.61

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.66 $2.66

-59.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.19 $2.19

-76.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.40 $9.40

-55.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.04 $13.04

44.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.72 $1.72

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.60 $1.60

77.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.98 $1.98

52.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.34 $1.34

-23.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.31 $20.31

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.04 $1.04

41.35%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$27.4K $27.4K

-2.31%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-3.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$189 $189

-49.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$84.5 $84.5

-86.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$74.2 $74.2

-77.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.86 $14.86

-49.53%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,713 $1,713

-72.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$25.1K $25.1K

-55.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$46.48 $46.48

34.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.04 $33.04

-14.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$82.2 $82.2

14.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$156 $156

-44.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$987 $987

-27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$872 $872

-43.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,704 $1,704

13.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,336 $1,336

7.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,659 $1,659

151.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,681 $1,681

81.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.6

-15.61%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Decatur, AL: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Decatur, AL

$872 45.2% 77.7% $381

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Decatur, AL

$272 14.1% 2.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Decatur, AL

$348 18% 179% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Decatur, AL

$143 7.4% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Decatur, AL

$256 13.3% 110% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Decatur, AL

$30 * 1.5% 63.9% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Decatur, AL

$8.7 * 0.5% 87.7% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $987 in Decatur, AL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $43 in Decatur, AL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $272 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Decatur, AL

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

07:47 7:47 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

77,047

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Decatur, AL 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Decatur, 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 Decatur, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Decatur, AL costs about 51% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,894 in Decatur, AL. 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 $987 in Decatur, AL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,929 in Decatur, AL. That makes Phuket about 34% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $43 in Decatur, AL. 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 Decatur, AL at $1,929. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Decatur, AL 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.