Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kansas City, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,442 in Kansas City, MO, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
117

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

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,442 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kansas City, MO $2,442

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,599 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kansas City, MO $3,599

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,756 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kansas City, MO $4,756

Phuket is about 48% cheaper than Kansas City, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Kansas City, MO is 79% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$25.16 $25.16

-82.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$80.5 $80.5

-59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.48 $12.48

-29.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.98 $5.98

-52.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$3.19 $3.19

-72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.46 $2.46

-80.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.96 $6.96

-63.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.61 $7.61

-51.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.16 $1.16

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.37 $3.37

-56.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.16 $5.16

-70.93%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.21 $4.21

-50.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.38 $14.38

32.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.82 $9.82

-66.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.71 $13.71

-20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$4.49 $4.49

-34.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.62 $1.62

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.43 $4.43

-49.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.52 $5.52

-62.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.21 $3.21

-52.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.31 $3.31

-58.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.28 $2.28

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.10 $2.10

-75.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.93 $7.93

-47.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.03 $15.03

25.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.93 $1.93

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.95 $3.95

-28.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.48 $2.48

21.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.21 $1.21

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$59.7 $59.7

-93.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.99 $0.99

48.48%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$34.4K $34.4K

-22.09%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

1.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$199 $199

-51.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$66.6 $66.6

-83.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$72.5 $72.5

-76.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.00 $44.00

52.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$32.05 $32.05

-66.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.17 $15.17

-50.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,136 $1,136

-58.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$21.0K $21.0K

-46.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$61.7 $61.7

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$43.49 $43.49

-34.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$103 $103

-8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$147 $147

-41.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,250 $1,250

-42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,087 $1,087

-54.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,468 $2,468

-21.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,724 $1,724

-17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,584 $2,584

61.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,837 $1,837

65.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,939 $3,939

-87.25%

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, MO: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kansas City, MO

$1.1K 44.5% 121% $596

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kansas City, MO

$392 16.1% 47.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kansas City, MO

$338 13.8% 171% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kansas City, MO

$160 6.6% 31.2% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kansas City, MO

$383 15.7% 215% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kansas City, MO

$74 3% 9.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kansas City, MO

$8.5 * 0.4% 87.9% $62

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 $1,250 in Kansas City, MO. 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, MO are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $81 in Kansas City, MO. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $392 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Kansas City, MO

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

19:14 7:14 PM

13 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 = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kansas City, MO 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kansas City, MO

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, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,442 in Kansas City, MO – Phuket comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,664 in Kansas City, MO. 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 $1,250 in Kansas City, MO.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,442 in Kansas City, MO. That makes Phuket about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,136 in Kansas City, MO. 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 Kansas City, MO at $2,442. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kansas City, MO 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 $2,442 in Kansas City, MO. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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