Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Galveston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,222 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,222 in Galveston, TX, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Galveston, TX $2,222

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,215 in Galveston, TX, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Galveston, TX $3,215

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,209 in Galveston, TX, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Galveston, TX $4,209

Phuket is about 42% cheaper than Galveston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Galveston, TX is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.04 $22.04

-79.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$76.5 $76.5

-57.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.12 $12.12

-27.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$7.95 $7.95

-64.40%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.84 $2.84

-69.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.77 $1.77

-72.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.15 $5.15

-50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.05 $4.05

-9.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.81 $0.81

104.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.56 $2.56

-42.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.81 $2.81

-46.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.75 $2.75

-24.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.45 $11.45

66.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.54 $9.54

-65.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.24 $13.24

-17.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$5.47 $5.47

-46.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.57 $1.57

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.18 $3.18

-29.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.76 $3.76

-44.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.13 $2.13

-29.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.50 $2.50

-44.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.80 $1.80

-40.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.79 $1.79

-70.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.91 $9.91

-57.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.90 $10.90

72.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.79 $1.79

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.77 $1.77

60.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.95 $1.95

-25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$32.77 $32.77

72.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$9.90 $9.90

-69.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.82 $1.82

-43.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$60.6 $60.6

-93.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.95 $0.95

54.74%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

-0.26%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.4K $26.4K

1.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$176 $176

-45.31%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$42.42 $42.42

-73.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$39.79 $39.79

-57.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$34.89 $34.89

92.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.17 $11.17

-32.86%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$759 $759

-37.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$18.2K $18.2K

-38.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$44.12 $44.12

41.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$38.49 $38.49

-26.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.4 $73.4

28.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$81.1 $81.1

5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,186 $1,186

-39.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,059 $1,059

-53.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,118 $2,118

-9.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,579 $1,579

-9.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,698 $2,698

54.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,158 $2,158

41.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$4,045 $4,045

-87.58%

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 Galveston, TX: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7% 116% $568

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Galveston, TX

$320 14.4% 20.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Galveston, TX

$258 11.6% 108% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Galveston, TX

$107 4.8% 12.5% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Galveston, TX

$360 16.2% 196% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6% 30.4% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7% 15.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,186 in Galveston, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Galveston, TX are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $77 in Galveston, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $320 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

04:40 4:40 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

53,695

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Galveston, TX 15,650 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Galveston, 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 Galveston, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,222 in Galveston, TX – Phuket comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,333 in Galveston, TX. 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 $1,186 in Galveston, TX.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,222 in Galveston, TX. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Galveston, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Galveston, TX at $2,222. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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