Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hilo, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hilo, HI

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 Hilo, HI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Hilo, HI $2,865

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $4,388 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Hilo, HI $4,388

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $5,910 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Hilo, HI $5,910

Phuket is about 55% cheaper than Hilo, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$20.77 $20.77

-78.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$79.9 $79.9

-59.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$12.17 $12.17

-28.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$5.63 $5.63

-51.69%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$2.90 $2.90

-67.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.42 $2.42

-79.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$6.32 $6.32

-59.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.57 $7.57

-52.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.75 $1.75

-0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$10.08 $10.08

-85.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.28 $4.28

-64.95%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$7.07 $7.07

-69.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$19.98 $19.98

-4.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$17.57 $17.57

-80.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$30.15 $30.15

-63.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$8.57 $8.57

-65.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.39 $2.39

-29.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$10.48 $10.48

-79.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$12.21 $12.21

-82.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$9.04 $9.04

-83.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$7.81 $7.81

-82.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$5.36 $5.36

-79.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$3.02 $3.02

-81.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.90 $11.90

-62.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$22.03 $22.03

-17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.76 $1.76

0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.95 $2.95

-48.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$2.00 $2.00

-61.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$23.57 $23.57

-83.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.41 $1.41

5.67%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$25.5K $25.5K

5.40%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$26.0K $26.0K

1.18%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$302 $302

-67.61%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$67.7 $67.7

-83.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$125 $125

-86.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$37.04 $37.04

84.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$25.30 $25.30

-56.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$13.24 $13.24

-43.88%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$11.8K $11.8K

58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$36.77 $36.77

67.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$29.88 $29.88

-5.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$66.8 $66.8

43.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$83.9 $83.9

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,463 $1,463

-50.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,142 $1,142

-55.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,574 $2,574

-24.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$2,199 $2,199

-36.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$5,600 $5,600

-25.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$4,662 $4,662

-29.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$3,795 $3,795

-87.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.62

-15.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9% 125% $633

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25% 168% $448

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3% 292% $369

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4% 20.3% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8% 183% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2% 23.6% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5% 80.4% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilo, HI are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $80 in Hilo, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $715 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

01:29 1:29 AM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

44,186

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hilo, HI 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hilo, HI

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 Hilo, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 121% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $4,297 in Hilo, HI. 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 $1,463 in Hilo, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,865 in Hilo, HI. That makes Phuket about 55% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 168% more in Hilo, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Hilo, HI at $2,865. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $2,865 in Hilo, HI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.