Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Las Cruces, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Las Cruces, NM $2,078

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,034 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Las Cruces, NM $3,034

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,991 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Las Cruces, NM $3,991

Phuket is about 38% cheaper than Las Cruces, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Las Cruces, NM is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.17 $17.17

-73.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$44.89 $44.89

-27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.92 $11.92

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.78 $5.78

-51.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.38 $2.38

-63.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.15 $2.15

-77.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.49 $6.49

-60.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.13 $9.13

-59.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.84 $0.84

97.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.48 $3.48

-58.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.57 $3.57

-57.98%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.63 $4.63

-54.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.25 $13.25

43.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.14 $12.14

-72.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.48 $17.48

-37.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$4.23 $4.23

-30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.04 $2.04

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.46 $3.46

-34.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.93 $3.93

-47.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.23 $2.23

-32.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$2.37 $2.37

-41.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.81 $1.81

-40.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.91 $1.91

-72.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.79 $10.79

-61.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.29 $15.29

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.44 $2.44

-25.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.51 $3.51

-19.09%

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

$2.36 $2.36

27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$2.39 $2.39

-57.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.97 $0.97

51.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$27.6K $27.6K

-3.04%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$24.7K $24.7K

8.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$174 $174

-44.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$58.3 $58.3

-80.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$89.7 $89.7

-81.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$43.53 $43.53

54.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.77 $10.77

-0.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.05 $10.05

-25.37%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$672 $672

-29.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$59.9 $59.9

4.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.94 $31.94

-11.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$83.6 $83.6

12.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$103 $103

-16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$883 $883

-18.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$854 $854

-42.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,562 $1,562

23.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,431 $1,431

-0.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,260 $2,260

84.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,875 $1,875

62.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,507 $3,507

-85.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.36

-12.42%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$854 41.1% 74% $363

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Las Cruces, NM

$387 18.6% 45.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Las Cruces, NM

$322 15.5% 159% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Las Cruces, NM

$125 6% 2.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Las Cruces, NM

$311 15% 156% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$64 3.1% 22.6% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Las Cruces, NM

$14 * 0.7% 79.8% $56

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 $883 in Las Cruces, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Las Cruces, NM are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $45 in Las Cruces, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $387 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

17:54 5:54 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

111,385

💱 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 Las Cruces, NM 14,810 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 63% 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 $3,117 in Las Cruces, NM. 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 $883 in Las Cruces, NM.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $45 in Las Cruces, NM. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Las Cruces, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Las Cruces, NM at $2,078. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Cruces, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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