Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Panama City, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,409 in Panama City, FL, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Panama City, FL
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Panama City, FL Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Panama City, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Panama City, FL

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 Panama City, FL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,409 in Panama City, FL.

Phuket $1,278
Panama City, FL $2,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,287 in Panama City, FL.

Phuket $2,216
Panama City, FL $3,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,165 in Panama City, FL.

Phuket $3,154
Panama City, FL $4,165

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in Panama City, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Panama City, FL is 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.74 $18.74

-76.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$54.0 $54.0

-39.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.11 $12.11

-27.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.60 $5.60

-49.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.89 $2.89

-69.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.70 $1.70

-71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.10 $5.10

-49.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.12 $7.12

-48.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.90 $0.90

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.46 $3.46

-57.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.66 $2.66

-43.61%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.30 $3.30

-36.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.78 $10.78

76.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.61 $11.61

-71.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.64 $14.64

-25.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.10 $4.10

-28.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.49 $1.49

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.73 $2.73

-17.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.30 $4.30

-51.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.11 $3.11

-51.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.84 $2.84

-51.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.09 $2.09

-48.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.22 $2.22

-76.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.31 $9.31

-54.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.15 $12.15

54.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.70 $1.70

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.86 $3.86

-26.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.46 $1.46

-0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$35.52 $35.52

59.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.55 $2.55

18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.51 $1.51

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.17 $26.17

-85.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.98 $0.98

50.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.5K $27.5K

-2.63%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

2.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$169 $169

-43.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$44.38 $44.38

-74.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$59.5 $59.5

-71.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$24.35 $24.35

176.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.87 $12.87

-41.72%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$618 $618

-22.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$13.9K $13.9K

-18.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$48.26 $48.26

29.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.43 $40.43

-29.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$84.5 $84.5

11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$95.9 $95.9

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$921 $921

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,248 $1,248

-60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,673 $1,673

15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,662 $1,662

-13.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,269 $3,269

27.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,694 $2,694

12.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,980 $3,980

-87.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.54

-14.83%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Panama City, FL: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Panama City, FL

$1.2K 51.8% 154% $757

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Panama City, FL

$354 14.7% 33% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Panama City, FL

$273 11.3% 120% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Panama City, FL

$121 5% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Panama City, FL

$312 12.9% 156% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Panama City, FL

$50 2.1% 39.1% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Panama City, FL

$51 2.1% 27.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $921 in Panama City, FL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Panama City, FL pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $54 in Panama City, FL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $354 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Panama City, FL

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

18:20 6:20 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

36,484

💱 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 Panama City, FL 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Panama City, FL

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 Panama City, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Panama City, FL. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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 $921 in Panama City, FL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $618 in Panama City, FL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Panama City, FL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,409 in Panama City, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Panama City, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Panama City, FL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.