Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Houma, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,071 in Houma, LA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Houma, LA

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 Houma, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,071 in Houma, LA, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Houma, LA $2,071

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,003 in Houma, LA, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Houma, LA $3,003

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,936 in Houma, LA, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Houma, LA $3,936

Phuket is about 38% cheaper than Houma, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Houma, LA is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.83 $19.83

-77.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$49.72 $49.72

-34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.16 $12.16

-27.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.37 $5.37

-47.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.14 $2.14

-59.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.65 $1.65

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.09 $3.09

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.93 $4.93

-25.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.13 $1.13

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.92 $3.92

-62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.10 $5.10

-70.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.72 $1.72

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.23 $10.23

86.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.26 $10.26

-67.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.25 $15.25

-28.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.28 $5.28

-44.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.29 $1.29

31.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.31 $5.31

-57.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.03 $4.03

-48.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.06 $2.06

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.14 $3.14

-56.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.95 $1.95

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.54 $2.54

-79.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.64 $8.64

-51.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.87 $12.87

46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.48 $2.48

-26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.83 $3.83

-25.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.45 $3.45

-12.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.45 $1.45

-29.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$34.46 $34.46

-89.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.89 $0.89

65.17%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.0K $33.0K

-18.90%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.3K $26.3K

1.44%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$151 $151

-36.14%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$72.1 $72.1

-84.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$47.11 $47.11

-64.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$27.18 $27.18

147.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.32 $12.32

-39.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,553 $1,553

-69.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.4K $10.4K

8.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.2 $56.2

11.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$43.54 $43.54

-34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$85.4 $85.4

10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$120 $120

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,043 $1,043

-31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$924 $924

-46.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,564 $1,564

23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,448 $1,448

-1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,438 $1,438

190.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,483 $1,483

105.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,802 $3,802

-86.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Houma, LA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Houma, LA

$924 44.6% 88.1% $433

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Houma, LA

$378 18.2% 41.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Houma, LA

$270 13% 117% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Houma, LA

$137 6.6% 12.7% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Houma, LA

$300 14.5% 147% $178

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Houma, LA

$52 2.5% 37% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5% 84.8% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,043 in Houma, LA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Houma, LA are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $50 in Houma, LA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $378 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

12:12 12:12 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,657

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Houma, LA 15,740 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Houma, LA

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 Houma, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Houma, LA is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,107 in Houma, LA. 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 $1,043 in Houma, LA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,071 in Houma, LA. That’s a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,553 in Houma, LA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Houma, LA at $2,071. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Houma, LA 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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