Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ketchikan, AK

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 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
149

Cost of Living Index in Ketchikan, AK
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Ketchikan, AK Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ketchikan, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ketchikan, AK

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK.

Phuket $1,294
Ketchikan, AK $3,104

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,242 in Ketchikan, AK.

Phuket $2,204
Ketchikan, AK $4,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,380 in Ketchikan, AK.

Phuket $3,115
Ketchikan, AK $5,380

Living in Phuket costs roughly 58% less than in Ketchikan, AK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Ketchikan, AK is 130% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$27.76 $27.76

-84.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$82.4 $82.4

-60.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$11.47 $11.47

-24.15%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$5.09 $5.09

-46.56%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.71 $2.71

-65.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.03 $2.03

-75.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$7.57 $7.57

-66.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.39 $7.39

-50.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.75 $1.75

-0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$3.55 $3.55

-59.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.27 $4.27

-64.87%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$4.31 $4.31

-49.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$12.61 $12.61

51.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.70 $11.70

-70.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$17.35 $17.35

-37.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$4.96 $4.96

-40.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.62 $1.62

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.37 $4.37

-49.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.79 $4.79

-55.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.70 $2.70

-45.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$3.39 $3.39

-59.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.19 $2.19

-50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.43 $2.43

-77.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$9.87 $9.87

-55.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$14.88 $14.88

22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.22 $2.22

-20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.64 $3.64

-20.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.99 $1.99

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$59.1 $59.1

-7.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.92 $3.92

-61.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.56 $1.56

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$28.88 $28.88

-86.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.20 $1.20

24.17%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$29.7K $29.7K

-9.42%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$25.7K $25.7K

2.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$200 $200

-50.99%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$57.5 $57.5

-80.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$135 $135

-87.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$40.43 $40.43

69.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$17.98 $17.98

-58.68%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,219 $1,219

-56.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$19.5K $19.5K

-3.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$57.1 $57.1

7.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$43.71 $43.71

-35.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$82.9 $82.9

15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$120 $120

-27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,781 $1,781

-59.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,618 $1,618

-68.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,366 $2,366

-17.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$2,156 $2,156

-35.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$3,323 $3,323

26.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$3,412 $3,412

-3.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$4,559 $4,559

-89.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.59

-15.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ketchikan, AK: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ketchikan, AK

$1.6K 52.1% 218% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ketchikan, AK

$413 13.3% 54.6% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ketchikan, AK

$392 12.6% 211% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ketchikan, AK

$137 4.4% 11.5% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ketchikan, AK

$389 12.5% 226% $270

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ketchikan, AK

$76 2.5% 8.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ketchikan, AK

$79 2.5% 19.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ketchikan, AK pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $82 in Ketchikan, AK for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $413 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Ketchikan, AK

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

14:55 2:55 PM

16 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ketchikan, AK 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ketchikan, AK

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 Ketchikan, AK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, so Phuket is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,219 in Ketchikan, AK. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Ketchikan, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ketchikan, AK. 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 Ketchikan, AK are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Ketchikan, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.