Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pasco, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,544 in Pasco, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Pasco, WA, United States
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Pasco, WA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,544
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pasco, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,544 in Pasco, WA.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Pasco, WA $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,640 in Pasco, WA.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Pasco, WA $3,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,737 in Pasco, WA.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Pasco, WA $4,737

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Pasco, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Pasco, WA is 87% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$18.85 $18.85
-76.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$66.4 $66.4
-51.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.25 $13.25
-33.51%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$6.07 $6.07
-53.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$2.56 $2.56
-66.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$1.52 $1.52
-67.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$7.90 $7.90
-67.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$8.24 $8.24
-55.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.99 $0.99
67.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$4.69 $4.69
-68.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$5.03 $5.03
-70.18%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.15 $3.15
-33.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$12.25 $12.25
55.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$15.53 $15.53
-78.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$21.90 $21.90
-50.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$6.75 $6.75
-56.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.01 $2.01
-15.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.18 $2.18
3.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$2.26 $2.26
-7.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.14 $2.14
-29.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$2.24 $2.24
-38.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$2.01 $2.01
-46.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$2.01 $2.01
-74.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$11.43 $11.43
-63.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$15.53 $15.53
20.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$3.45 $3.45
-47.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$5.20 $5.20
-45.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$1.53 $1.53
-5.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$5.08 $5.08
-40.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$1.89 $1.89
-46.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$23.69 $23.69
-84.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$1.25 $1.25
17.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$33.7K $33.7K
-20.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$25.5K $25.5K
4.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$303 $303
-68.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$62.5 $62.5
-81.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$67.3 $67.3
-74.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$45.87 $45.87
46.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$14.85 $14.85
-49.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$1,668 $1,668
-71.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$24.7K $24.7K
-54.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$65.7 $65.7
-5.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$38.28 $38.28
-25.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$101 $101
-6.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$134 $134
-35.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,496 $1,496
-52.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$1,089 $1,089
-54.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$2,350 $2,350
-18.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,709 $1,709
-16.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Pasco, WA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$4,161 $4,161
-87.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.57
-15.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pasco, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Pasco, WA
$1.1K 122% $598
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Pasco, WA
$437 64.2% $171
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Pasco, WA
$433 248% $309
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Pasco, WA
$153 25.1% $31
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Pasco, WA
$336 176% $214
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Pasco, WA
$76 8.1% $6.7
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Pasco, WA
$21 * 70.7% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,496 in Pasco, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasco, WA pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $66 in Pasco, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $437 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇺🇸 Pasco, WA
🕒 Local time
20:05 8:05 PM
05:05 5:05 AM
15 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
77,108
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Pasco, WA 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Pasco, WA

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 Pasco, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Pasco, WA?
Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Pasco, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Phuket or in Pasco, WA?
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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Pasco, WA?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,496 in Pasco, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Pasco, WA?
Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Pasco, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Pasco, WA?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,544 in Pasco, WA – Phuket is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Pasco, WA?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,544 in Pasco, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Pasco, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Pasco, WA?
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.
Should I move to Phuket or to Pasco, WA?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Pasco, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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