Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kailua, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $4,158 in Kailua, HI, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 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
199

Cost of Living Index in Kailua, HI
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Kailua, HI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kailua, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $4,158 in Kailua, HI.

Phuket $1,278
Kailua, HI $4,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $6,091 in Kailua, HI.

Phuket $2,216
Kailua, HI $6,091

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $8,024 in Kailua, HI.

Phuket $3,154
Kailua, HI $8,024

Living in Phuket costs roughly 69% less than in Kailua, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Kailua, HI is 205% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$27.99 $27.99

-84.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$139 $139

-76.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.68 $11.68

-24.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$6.44 $6.44

-56.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.02 $3.02

-71.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.38 $2.38

-79.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$9.40 $9.40

-72.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.23 $9.23

-60.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.16 $2.16

-23.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$7.58 $7.58

-80.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$7.95 $7.95

-81.13%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$8.24 $8.24

-74.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$18.83 $18.83

1.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$16.04 $16.04

-79.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.78 $21.78

-49.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$7.80 $7.80

-62.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$4.32 $4.32

-60.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.07 $7.07

-68.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$9.39 $9.39

-77.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.62 $3.62

-58.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$4.85 $4.85

-71.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$4.51 $4.51

-76.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$3.18 $3.18

-83.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$13.08 $13.08

-67.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.76 $16.76

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.69 $2.69

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.12 $2.12

33.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.90 $3.90

-62.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$91.1 $91.1

-37.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.60 $3.60

-16.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.59 $2.59

-60.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$44.45 $44.45

-91.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.26 $1.26

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.48%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

0.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$249 $249

-61.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$50.1 $50.1

-77.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$66.9 $66.9

-74.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$70.8 $70.8

-5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$40.13 $40.13

-73.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$18.73 $18.73

-59.96%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,109 $2,109

-77.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$26.9K $26.9K

-58.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$62.3 $62.3

0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.57 $47.57

-40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$103 $103

-8.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$129 $129

-33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,725 $2,725

-73.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$2,351 $2,351

-79.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$4,306 $4,306

-55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$3,733 $3,733

-61.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$12.3K $12.3K

-66.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$9,638 $9,638

-68.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,764 $4,764

-89.46%

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 Kailua, HI: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kailua, HI

$2.4K 56.5% 379% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kailua, HI

$632 15.2% 138% $366

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kailua, HI

$366 8.8% 194% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kailua, HI

$154 3.7% 26.4% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kailua, HI

$423 10.2% 248% $302

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kailua, HI

$108 2.6% 31.7% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kailua, HI

$123 3% 74.7% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $2,725 in Kailua, HI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kailua, HI pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $139 in Kailua, HI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $632 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Kailua, HI

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

11,975

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kailua, HI 11,320 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kailua, 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 Kailua, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 225% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $2,725 in Kailua, HI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 38% less than in Kailua, HI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,109 in Kailua, HI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $4,158 in Kailua, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kailua, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kailua, HI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Kailua, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.