Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Schaumburg, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Schaumburg, IL
Learn more

Schaumburg, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Schaumburg, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Schaumburg, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL.

Phuket $1,278
Schaumburg, IL $3,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,589 in Schaumburg, IL.

Phuket $2,216
Schaumburg, IL $4,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,894 in Schaumburg, IL.

Phuket $3,154
Schaumburg, IL $5,894

Living in Phuket costs roughly 61% less than in Schaumburg, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Schaumburg, IL is 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.80 $14.80

-69.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$101 $101

-67.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.18 $13.18

-33.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.87 $4.87

-41.89%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.59 $2.59

-66.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.31 $2.31

-78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.58 $4.58

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.24 $6.24

-41.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.88 $0.88

88.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$4.17 $4.17

-64.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$7.44 $7.44

-79.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.04 $4.04

-48.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.79 $14.79

28.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.80 $13.80

-76.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.44 $17.44

-37.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$5.45 $5.45

-46.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.91 $2.91

-41.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$5.10 $5.10

-55.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.10 $4.10

-49.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.31 $3.31

-54.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.22 $3.22

-57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.96 $1.96

-45.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$3.59 $3.59

-85.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$18.19 $18.19

-76.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.44 $19.44

-3.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.39 $5.39

-47.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.95 $0.95

54.74%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$26.4K $26.4K

1.38%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$28.5K $28.5K

-6.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$342 $342

-71.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$75.9 $75.9

-85.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$148 $148

-88.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$64.5 $64.5

4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$39.22 $39.22

-72.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$20.02 $20.02

-62.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$84.6K $84.6K

-86.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$73.9 $73.9

-15.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$49.96 $49.96

-43.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$100 $100

-5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$120 $120

-28.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,914 $1,914

-62.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,722 $1,722

-71.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,818 $2,818

-31.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,558 $2,558

-44.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,115 $2,115

97.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,073 $2,073

46.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$4,915 $4,915

-89.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.1

-8.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Schaumburg, IL: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Schaumburg, IL

$1.7K 52.5% 251% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Schaumburg, IL

$465 * 14.2% 74.5% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Schaumburg, IL

$566 17.2% 355% $441

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Schaumburg, IL

$155 4.7% 26.9% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Schaumburg, IL

$271 8.3% 123% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Schaumburg, IL

$105 3.2% 27.2% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Schaumburg, IL

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaumburg, IL pays about 9.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $101 in Schaumburg, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $465 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Schaumburg, IL

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

78,723

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Schaumburg, IL 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Schaumburg, IL

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 Schaumburg, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 90% 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 $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Schaumburg, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $101 in Schaumburg, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Schaumburg, IL. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Schaumburg, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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