Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maui, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $4,790 in Maui, HI, rent and utilities included – about $42,000 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
228

Cost of Living Index in Maui, HI
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Maui, HI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Maui, HI

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 Maui, HI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $4,790 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Maui, HI $4,790

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $6,634 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Maui, HI $6,634

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $8,478 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Maui, HI $8,478

Phuket is about 73% cheaper than Maui, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$34.42 $34.42

-87.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$119 $119

-72.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$14.73 $14.73

-40.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.77 $6.77

-59.82%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$3.04 $3.04

-69.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.80 $2.80

-82.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$8.08 $8.08

-68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.87 $8.87

-59.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.23 $2.23

-21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$8.72 $8.72

-83.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$8.77 $8.77

-82.90%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$8.60 $8.60

-74.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$27.50 $27.50

-30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$15.36 $15.36

-77.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$22.11 $22.11

-50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$10.03 $10.03

-70.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.14 $2.14

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$10.09 $10.09

-78.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$8.00 $8.00

-73.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$6.74 $6.74

-78.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$7.83 $7.83

-82.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$5.09 $5.09

-78.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$3.61 $3.61

-84.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$17.25 $17.25

-74.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$20.28 $20.28

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.76 $1.76

0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$7.79 $7.79

-63.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$2.77 $2.77

-47.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$101 $101

-45.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$10.06 $10.06

-84.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.89 $0.89

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.34 $1.34

11.19%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$36.9K $36.9K

-27.18%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$34.1K $34.1K

-22.82%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$395 $395

-75.24%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$61.2 $61.2

-81.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$74.6 $74.6

-76.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$29.97 $29.97

127.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$14.80 $14.80

-49.80%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,666 $1,666

-68.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$17.1K $17.1K

9.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$90.8 $90.8

-32.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.0 $56.0

-49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$129 $129

-25.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$198 $198

-56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$2,646 $2,646

-72.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$2,665 $2,665

-80.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$4,531 $4,531

-56.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$3,798 $3,798

-63.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$14.5K $14.5K

-71.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$9,280 $9,280

-64.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$5,578 $5,578

-91.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.52

-14.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maui, HI: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Maui, HI

$2.7K 55.6% 424% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Maui, HI

$713 14.9% 167% $446

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Maui, HI

$531 11.1% 320% $404

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Maui, HI

$213 4.5% 73.9% $91

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Maui, HI

$482 10.1% 303% $363

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Maui, HI

$60 1.2% 28.4% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Maui, HI

$127 2.6% 91.8% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $2,646 in Maui, HI. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Maui, HI are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $119 in Maui, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $713 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Maui, HI

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,452

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 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 Maui, HI 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Maui, HI

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 Maui, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $4,790 in Maui, HI – Phuket comes out roughly 73% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $7,185 in Maui, HI. 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 $2,646 in Maui, HI.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $1,666 in Maui, HI. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% more in Maui, HI, 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 Maui, HI at $4,790. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maui, HI 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.

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