Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Des Moines, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA.

Phuket $1,294
Des Moines, IA $2,299

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,459 in Des Moines, IA.

Phuket $2,204
Des Moines, IA $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,618 in Des Moines, IA.

Phuket $3,115
Des Moines, IA $4,618

Living in Phuket costs roughly 44% less than in Des Moines, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Des Moines, IA is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$19.89 $19.89

-77.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$102 $102

-68.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$11.80 $11.80

-26.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.54 $6.54

-58.41%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$2.97 $2.97

-68.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.47 $2.47

-79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$5.05 $5.05

-49.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.65 $5.65

-35.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.86 $0.86

102.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$3.01 $3.01

-51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.24 $3.24

-53.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.88 $3.88

-44.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$9.40 $9.40

103.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$17.22 $17.22

-80.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$18.91 $18.91

-42.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.25 $5.25

-44.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.52 $1.52

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.92 $4.92

-55.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$3.71 $3.71

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$4.31 $4.31

-66.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$2.24 $2.24

-38.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.76 $2.76

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$3.04 $3.04

-81.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.13 $10.13

-56.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$14.81 $14.81

23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.68 $1.68

5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.93 $2.93

-1.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.71 $1.71

-15.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$57.8 $57.8

-5.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.99 $1.99

-24.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.25 $1.25

-37.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$19.83 $19.83

-80.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.01 $1.01

47.52%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$26.9K $26.9K

-0.00%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$25.6K $25.6K

3.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$191 $191

-48.82%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$52.9 $52.9

-78.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$77.2 $77.2

-77.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$33.80 $33.80

102.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$20.24 $20.24

-46.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$9.86 $9.86

-24.65%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,313 $1,313

-59.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$14.6K $14.6K

28.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$77.0 $77.0

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.1 $56.1

-49.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$103 $103

-6.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$166 $166

-47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,218 $1,218

-40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$918 $918

-44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,058 $2,058

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,422 $1,422

-1.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,418 $2,418

73.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,262 $2,262

45.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$3,788 $3,788

-87.02%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Des Moines, IA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Des Moines, IA

$918 40% 80.5% $410

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Des Moines, IA

$421 18.3% 57.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Des Moines, IA

$321 14% 154% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Des Moines, IA

$181 7.9% 47.2% $58

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Des Moines, IA

$331 14.4% 177% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Des Moines, IA

$54 2.3% 35.6% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.2% 10.4% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays about 7.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $102 in Des Moines, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $421 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

214,133

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Des Moines, IA 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Des Moines, 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 Des Moines, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Des Moines, IA. 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 87% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. 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 versus $102 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA – Phuket is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Des Moines, IA. 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 Des Moines, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.