Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Monrovia

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Monrovia: $1,294 and $1,282 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
Learn more

Monrovia Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Monrovia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,282 in Monrovia.

Phuket $1,294
Monrovia $1,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,894 in Monrovia.

Phuket $2,204
Monrovia $1,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,506 in Monrovia.

Phuket $3,115
Monrovia $2,506

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Monrovia; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Monrovia 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.42 LRD 1,258

-40.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$10.84 LRD 1,837

-19.74%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.05 LRD 516

-10.82%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.03 LRD 344

-54.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.97 LRD 334

-74.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$4.09 LRD 693

-38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.02 LRD 512

20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.10 LRD 355

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.74 LRD 295

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.11 LRD 865

-70.65%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.56 LRD 602

-39.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$7.80 LRD 1,322

144.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.62 LRD 1,968

-70.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.02 LRD 2,375

-22.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.66 LRD 281

77.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$8.49 LRD 1,439

-80.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$10.13 LRD 1,715

-78.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$10.82 LRD 1,833

-80.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.22 LRD 376

-34.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$10.82 LRD 1,832

-87.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$4.73 LRD 801

-77.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.97 LRD 334

-72.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.07 LRD 859

-12.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.95 LRD 1,177

162.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.55 LRD 431

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.53 LRD 599

-18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.97 LRD 504

-51.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$20.30 LRD 3,439

170.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.06 LRD 349

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.81 LRD 306

-56.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$25.48 LRD 4,317

-84.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.25 LRD 212

19.20%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.2K LRD 3.4M

32.76%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

78.81%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$152 LRD 25.8K

-35.85%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$22.35 LRD 3,787

-49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$177 LRD 29.9K

-90.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$62.1 LRD 10.5K

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$9.87 LRD 1,671

10.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.11 LRD 865

45.40%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$101 LRD 17.1K

426.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$991 LRD 167.9K

1794.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$25.23 LRD 4,275

144.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$32.55 LRD 5,514

-13.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$54.1 LRD 9,163

77.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$93.0 LRD 15.7K

-6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$253 LRD 42.8K

185.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$96.8 LRD 16.4K

425.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$641 LRD 108.6K

204.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$269 LRD 45.5K

420.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$711 LRD 120.5K

-30.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monrovia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Monrovia

$97 7.6% 81% $412

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monrovia

$455 35.5% 70.5% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Monrovia

$351 27.4% 178% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Monrovia

$92 7.2% 24.9% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Monrovia

$171 13.3% 43% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Monrovia

$72 5.6% 13.1% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Monrovia

$43 3.4% 34.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $253 in Monrovia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monrovia pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,010,970 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Liberian Dollar LRD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LRD, 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).

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 169 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Monrovia 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Monrovia

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 Monrovia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $253 in Monrovia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 41% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

A monthly transit pass in Monrovia runs roughly 63% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Monrovia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.