Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kansas City, KS

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,714 in Kansas City, KS, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Kansas City, KS
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Kansas City, KS Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kansas City, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kansas City, KS

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 Kansas City, KS actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,714 in Kansas City, KS, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kansas City, KS $2,714

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $4,099 in Kansas City, KS, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kansas City, KS $4,099

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,484 in Kansas City, KS, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kansas City, KS $5,484

Phuket is about 53% cheaper than Kansas City, KS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Kansas City, KS is 99% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$23.70 $23.70

-81.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$81.6 $81.6

-60.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.58 $12.58

-29.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$6.09 $6.09

-53.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.05 $3.05

-71.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.44 $2.44

-79.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.13 $5.13

-50.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.86 $8.86

-58.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.07 $1.07

55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.37 $3.37

-56.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.27 $5.27

-71.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.57 $4.57

-54.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.97 $13.97

36.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.50 $9.50

-65.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.57 $13.57

-19.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.19 $4.19

-30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.10 $2.10

-19.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.89 $5.89

-61.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.45 $5.45

-61.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.57 $3.57

-57.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.78 $3.78

-63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.39 $2.39

-55.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.18 $2.18

-76.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.78 $8.78

-52.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.84 $16.84

11.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.81 $1.81

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.97 $3.97

-28.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.53 $1.53

-5.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$55.2 $55.2

2.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.93 $4.93

-38.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.28 $1.28

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.28 $41.28

-91.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.02 $1.02

44.12%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.3K $27.3K

-2.02%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.3K $26.3K

1.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$198 $198

-51.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$53.0 $53.0

-78.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$64.3 $64.3

-73.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$113 $113

-40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$64.7 $64.7

-83.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.24 $15.24

-50.79%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$445 $445

6.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$21.3K $21.3K

-47.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$59.8 $59.8

4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$43.22 $43.22

-34.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$104 $104

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$146 $146

-41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,498 $1,498

-52.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,255 $1,255

-60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,794 $2,794

-31.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,191 $2,191

-34.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,078 $2,078

100.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,167 $2,167

40.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,207 $3,207

-84.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.56

-15.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kansas City, KS: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kansas City, KS

$1.3K 46.2% 156% $764

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kansas City, KS

$403 14.8% 51.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kansas City, KS

$316 11.6% 154% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kansas City, KS

$159 5.8% 30.1% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kansas City, KS

$366 13.5% 201% $244

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kansas City, KS

$144 5.3% 74.8% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kansas City, KS

$73 2.7% 2.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,498 in Kansas City, KS. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kansas City, KS are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $82 in Kansas City, KS. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $403 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Kansas City, KS

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

463,202

💱 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 Kansas City, KS 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kansas City, KS

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 Kansas City, KS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kansas City, KS costs about 112% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,072 in Kansas City, KS. 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 $1,498 in Kansas City, KS.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $445 in Kansas City, KS. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Kansas City, KS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kansas City, KS at $2,714. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kansas City, KS 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $2,714 in Kansas City, KS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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