Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kauai, Hawaii

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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 Kauai, Hawaii
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Kauai, Hawaii Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kauai, Hawaii

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kauai, Hawaii

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Phuket $1,278
Kauai, Hawaii $2,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,851 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Phuket $2,216
Kauai, Hawaii $3,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,097 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Phuket $3,154
Kauai, Hawaii $5,097

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Kauai, Hawaii is 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.36 $19.36

-76.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$75.8 $75.8

-57.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.98 $10.98

-19.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.95 $4.95

-42.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.53 $2.53

-65.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.95 $1.95

-74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.07 $6.07

-57.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.97 $6.97

-47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.99 $0.99

67.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.48 $3.48

-58.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.27 $4.27

-64.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.09 $4.09

-48.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.44 $12.44

53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.49 $11.49

-71.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.60 $15.60

-30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.77 $4.77

-38.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.61 $1.61

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.35 $4.35

-48.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.59 $4.59

-54.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.87 $2.87

-47.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.89 $2.89

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.00 $2.00

-46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.17 $2.17

-76.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.47 $9.47

-55.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.83 $13.83

35.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 $1.77

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.44 $3.44

-17.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.06 $2.06

-29.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$55.5 $55.5

2.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.54 $3.54

-14.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.57 $1.57

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$29.13 $29.13

-87.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.84 $0.84

75.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.3K $29.3K

-8.55%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

2.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$185 $185

-47.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$53.9 $53.9

-79.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$68.1 $68.1

-75.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$43.26 $43.26

55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.53 $13.53

-44.57%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,282 $1,282

-62.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$23.1K $23.1K

-51.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$50.1 $50.1

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.37 $39.37

-27.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$85.0 $85.0

10.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$112 $112

-23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,605 $1,605

-55.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,329 $1,329

-63.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,647 $2,647

-27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,266 $2,266

-36.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,817 $2,817

48.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,482 $2,482

22.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.51

-14.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kauai, Hawaii: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kauai, Hawaii

$1.3K 51% 171% $838

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kauai, Hawaii

$385 14.8% 44.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kauai, Hawaii

$307 11.8% 146% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kauai, Hawaii

$129 5% 5.9% $7.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kauai, Hawaii

$309 11.9% 154% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kauai, Hawaii

$70 2.7% 14.5% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kauai, Hawaii

$75 2.9% 6.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $76 in Kauai, Hawaii for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $385 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Kauai, Hawaii

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

73,610

💱 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 Kauai, Hawaii 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kauai, Hawaii

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 Kauai, Hawaii: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,907 in Kauai, Hawaii to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Kauai, Hawaii. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kauai, Hawaii. 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 Kauai, Hawaii, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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