Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $41,900 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
232

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

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Los Gatos, 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 Gatos, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Los Gatos, CA $4,787

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $7,200 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Los Gatos, CA $7,200

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $9,613 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Los Gatos, CA $9,613

Phuket is about 73% cheaper than Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Los Gatos, CA is 254% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$25.47 $25.47

-82.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$98.0 $98.0

-67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$15.24 $15.24

-42.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.51 $6.51

-58.22%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$2.92 $2.92

-68.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.57 $2.57

-80.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$7.90 $7.90

-67.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.05 $8.05

-54.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.28 $1.28

35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$4.20 $4.20

-65.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.77 $4.77

-68.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$6.62 $6.62

-67.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$24.66 $24.66

-22.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$11.61 $11.61

-70.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.16 $13.16

-17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.35 $5.35

-45.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.17 $3.17

-46.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.91 $4.91

-55.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$5.93 $5.93

-64.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$3.29 $3.29

-55.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$3.97 $3.97

-65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$3.05 $3.05

-64.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$2.63 $2.63

-79.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.98 $11.98

-63.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$13.10 $13.10

39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.13 $2.13

-16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.47 $2.47

16.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.11 $4.11

-63.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.83 $1.83

-57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$35.36 $35.36

-89.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.57 $1.57

-5.10%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$27.9K $27.9K

-3.80%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$26.8K $26.8K

-1.81%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$371 $371

-73.60%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$58.7 $58.7

-80.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$64.3 $64.3

-73.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$145 $145

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$16.95 $16.95

-56.17%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$2,150 $2,150

-75.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$20.3K $20.3K

-7.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$51.3 $51.3

20.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$39.25 $39.25

-28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$75.2 $75.2

27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$60.2 $60.2

44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$3,504 $3,504

-79.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$3,124 $3,124

-83.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$6,054 $6,054

-76.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$3,481 $3,481

20.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.69

-16.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3% 514% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8% 76.2% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3% 291% $367

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5% 239% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7% 115% $96

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3% 80% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $98 in Los Gatos, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $470 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

17:48 5:48 PM

15 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

30,222

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Los Gatos, CA 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Los Gatos, 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 Gatos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Gatos, CA costs about 270% 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 $1,940 per month in Phuket and $7,181 in Los Gatos, CA. 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 $721 there versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $98 in Los Gatos, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Los Gatos, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,787. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.