Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Houston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Houston, TX.

Phuket $1,278
Houston, TX $2,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,794 in Houston, TX.

Phuket $2,216
Houston, TX $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,963 in Houston, TX.

Phuket $3,154
Houston, TX $4,963

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Houston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Houston, TX is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.40 $20.40

-78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$75.1 $75.1

-56.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.82 $9.82

-10.29%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.24 $5.24

-45.99%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.72 $2.72

-68.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.25 $2.25

-78.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.17 $6.17

-58.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.95 $7.95

-53.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.84 $0.84

97.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.24 $3.24

-54.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.10 $4.10

-63.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.25 $3.25

-35.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.11 $11.11

71.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.65 $12.65

-73.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.40 $16.40

-33.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.12 $4.12

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.47 $1.47

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.05 $3.05

-26.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.67 $3.67

-43.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.19 $2.19

-31.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.71 $2.71

-49.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.95 $1.95

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.50 $2.50

-79.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.09 $10.09

-58.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.47 $14.47

29.85%

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

$2.91 $2.91

-2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.26 $1.26

15.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$74.4 $74.4

-23.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.85 $2.85

5.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.48 $1.48

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.92 $23.92

-84.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.97 $0.97

51.55%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.4K $34.4K

-22.22%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.4K $26.4K

1.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$198 $198

-51.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$65.2 $65.2

-82.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$75.3 $75.3

-77.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$35.73 $35.73

88.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$20.98 $20.98

-48.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.06 $15.06

-50.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,901 $1,901

-74.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$22.1K $22.1K

-49.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$49.81 $49.81

25.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.04 $47.04

-39.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$103 $103

-8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$94.0 $94.0

-8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,742 $1,742

-58.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,304 $1,304

-62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,449 $3,449

-44.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,057 $2,057

-30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,659 $2,659

57.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,785 $1,785

70.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,293 $4,293

-88.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.7

-16.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7% 166% $813

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Houston, TX

$373 14.2% 40% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Houston, TX

$338 12.9% 172% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Houston, TX

$132 5% 8.6% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Houston, TX

$322 12.3% 165% $200

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Houston, TX

$66 2.5% 19.9% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Houston, TX

$90 3.4% 27.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $75 in Houston, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $373 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,304,580

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Houston, TX 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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 $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Houston, TX. 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 $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Houston, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.