Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Los Angeles, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,400 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
195

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA.

Phuket $1,278
Los Angeles, CA $4,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $6,104 in Los Angeles, CA.

Phuket $2,216
Los Angeles, CA $6,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $8,148 in Los Angeles, CA.

Phuket $3,154
Los Angeles, CA $8,148

Living in Phuket costs roughly 69% less than in Los Angeles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Los Angeles, CA is 198% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$27.02 $27.02

-83.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$121 $121

-73.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.21 $15.21

-42.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.78 $5.78

-51.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.79 $3.79

-77.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.69 $2.69

-81.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.76 $7.76

-67.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.98 $9.98

-63.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.29 $1.29

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$4.68 $4.68

-68.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.58 $4.58

-67.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.35 $5.35

-60.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.27 $11.27

69.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$16.16 $16.16

-79.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.42 $19.42

-43.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.24 $5.24

-44.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.33 $2.33

-27.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.62 $4.62

-51.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.56 $5.56

-62.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.38 $3.38

-55.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.93 $2.93

-52.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.95 $1.95

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.43 $2.43

-78.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.99 $11.99

-64.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.05 $15.05

24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.94 $2.94

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.71 $2.71

4.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.72 $1.72

-15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$105 $105

-45.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.05 $3.05

-0.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.87 $1.87

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.19 $32.19

-88.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.57 $1.57

-6.37%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.5K $34.5K

-22.36%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$27.0K $27.0K

-0.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$280 $280

-65.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$78.4 $78.4

-85.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$79.1 $79.1

-78.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$71.2 $71.2

-5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.21 $12.21

-12.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$18.32 $18.32

-59.06%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,722 $1,722

-72.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$31.7K $31.7K

-64.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$91.6 $91.6

-31.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$65.7 $65.7

-56.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$117 $117

-19.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$210 $210

-59.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,547 $2,547

-71.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$2,295 $2,295

-78.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$5,372 $5,372

-64.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$4,158 $4,158

-65.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,171 $7,171

-41.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$6,923 $6,923

-56.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,204 $4,204

-88.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.86

-18.80%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Los Angeles, CA

$2.3K 56.5% 367% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Los Angeles, CA

$462 11.4% 73.5% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.8% 252% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.4% 78.9% $96

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Los Angeles, CA

$416 10.2% 242% $294

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Los Angeles, CA

$108 2.7% 31.2% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3.1% 75.5% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $121 in Los Angeles, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $462 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

15:57 3:57 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,030,904

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Los Angeles, CA 13,960 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 46% less than in Los Angeles, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,722 in Los Angeles, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. 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 Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.