Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Eau Claire, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,278 in Eau Claire, WI, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Eau Claire, WI
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Eau Claire, WI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Eau Claire, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Eau Claire, WI

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 Eau Claire, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,278 in Eau Claire, WI.

Phuket $1,278
Eau Claire, WI $2,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,288 in Eau Claire, WI.

Phuket $2,216
Eau Claire, WI $3,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,297 in Eau Claire, WI.

Phuket $3,154
Eau Claire, WI $4,297

Living in Phuket costs roughly 44% less than in Eau Claire, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Eau Claire, WI is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.67 $18.67

-76.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$66.5 $66.5

-51.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.98 $9.98

-11.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.23 $5.23

-45.89%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.79 $2.79

-68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.51 $1.51

-67.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.98 $3.98

-35.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.84 $5.84

-36.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.81 $0.81

104.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.45 $3.45

-57.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.16 $4.16

-63.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.71 $3.71

-43.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.94 $12.94

47.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.22 $13.22

-75.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.53 $14.53

-24.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.80 $4.80

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.21 $1.21

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.25 $3.25

-30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.77 $4.77

-56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.89 $2.89

-47.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.99 $2.99

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.52 $1.52

-29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.37 $2.37

-78.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.93 $10.93

-61.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.18 $15.18

23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.10 $2.10

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.52 $4.52

-37.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.71 $1.71

-15.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$50.5 $50.5

12.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.94 $3.94

-23.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.95 $1.95

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$44.51 $44.51

-91.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.89 $0.89

65.17%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.38%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

4.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$210 $210

-54.09%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$47.84 $47.84

-76.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$68.9 $68.9

-75.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$42.07 $42.07

59.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$19.94 $19.94

-46.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.44 $11.44

-34.44%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$999 $999

-52.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$23.3K $23.3K

-51.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$48.92 $48.92

27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.95 $29.95

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$109 $109

-13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$84.8 $84.8

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,145 $1,145

-37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,012 $1,012

-51.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,578 $1,578

22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,543 $1,543

-7.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,253 $2,253

85.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,861 $1,861

63.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,958 $3,958

-87.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.65

-16.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Eau Claire, WI: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Eau Claire, WI

$1K 44.4% 106% $521

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Eau Claire, WI

$390 17.1% 46.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Eau Claire, WI

$327 14.3% 162% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eau Claire, WI

$123 5.4% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eau Claire, WI

$291 12.8% 139% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Eau Claire, WI

$65 2.9% 21% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Eau Claire, WI

$71 3.1% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,145 in Eau Claire, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eau Claire, WI pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $67 in Eau Claire, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $390 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Eau Claire, WI

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

09:15 9:15 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

68,802

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Eau Claire, WI 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Eau Claire, WI

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 Eau Claire, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,145 in Eau Claire, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Eau Claire, WI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Eau Claire, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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