Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Highland, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,866 in Highland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Highland, CA
Learn more

Highland, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Highland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Highland, CA

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 Highland, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,866 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Highland, CA $2,866

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $4,109 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Highland, CA $4,109

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $5,352 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Highland, CA $5,352

Phuket is about 55% cheaper than Highland, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Highland, CA is 112% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$25.43 $25.43

-82.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$78.5 $78.5

-58.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$14.77 $14.77

-41.10%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$5.61 $5.61

-51.52%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$3.09 $3.09

-69.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.45 $2.45

-79.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$7.11 $7.11

-64.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$10.16 $10.16

-64.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.28 $1.28

35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$4.85 $4.85

-70.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.84 $4.84

-69.01%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$5.48 $5.48

-60.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$10.81 $10.81

76.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.63 $8.63

-60.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$19.74 $19.74

-44.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$4.78 $4.78

-38.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.21 $2.21

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.01 $4.01

-45.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$5.32 $5.32

-60.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.25 $3.25

-55.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.79 $2.79

-50.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.98 $1.98

-45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.65 $2.65

-79.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.67 $11.67

-62.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$15.06 $15.06

21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.45 $2.45

-27.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.77 $2.77

3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.94 $1.94

-25.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$59.9 $59.9

-8.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.74 $3.74

-59.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.24 $2.24

-65.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$38.33 $38.33

-89.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.59 $1.59

-6.29%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$28.7K $28.7K

-6.45%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

-1.15%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$217 $217

-54.93%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$78.8 $78.8

-85.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$79.0 $79.0

-78.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$39.43 $39.43

73.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$18.72 $18.72

-60.31%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,201 $1,201

-55.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$12.8K $12.8K

46.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$63.7 $63.7

-3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$47.17 $47.17

-40.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$107 $107

-9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$104 $104

-16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,468 $1,468

-50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,374 $1,374

-62.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,785 $2,785

-29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$2,102 $2,102

-33.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,804 $2,804

49.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,225 $2,225

48.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.31

-11.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Highland, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Highland, CA

$1.4K 48% 170% $865

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Highland, CA

$420 14.7% 57.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Highland, CA

$375 13.1% 197% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Highland, CA

$144 5% 17.7% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Highland, CA

$393 13.7% 229% $274

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Highland, CA

$77 2.7% 7.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Highland, CA

$83 2.9% 25.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,468 in Highland, CA. 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 $79 in Highland, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $420 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Highland, CA

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

16:02 4:02 PM

15 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

51,550

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Highland, CA 14,030 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Highland, CA

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 Highland, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $2,866 in Highland, CA – Phuket comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $4,300 in Highland, CA. 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 $721 there versus $1,468 in Highland, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $79 in Highland, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,866 in Highland, CA. That makes Phuket about 55% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Highland, CA at $2,866. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Highland, CA 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.