Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sioux City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,173 in Sioux City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sioux City, IA

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 Sioux City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,173 in Sioux City, IA.

Phuket $1,278
Sioux City, IA $2,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,286 in Sioux City, IA.

Phuket $2,216
Sioux City, IA $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,398 in Sioux City, IA.

Phuket $3,154
Sioux City, IA $4,398

Living in Phuket costs roughly 41% less than in Sioux City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sioux City, IA is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.24 $20.24

-77.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$54.9 $54.9

-40.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.43 $10.43

-15.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.15 $6.15

-53.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.19 $2.19

-60.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.72 $1.72

-71.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.87 $4.87

-47.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.73 $5.73

-35.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.87 $0.87

90.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.88 $2.88

-49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.40 $3.40

-55.88%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.52 $3.52

-40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.97 $7.97

139.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.84 $7.84

-57.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.86 $16.86

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$4.66 $4.66

-37.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.53 $1.53

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.02 $4.02

-44.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.17 $4.17

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.91 $1.91

-20.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$4.71 $4.71

-70.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.34 $2.34

-54.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.13 $2.13

-75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.22 $9.22

-54.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.72 $14.72

27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.76 $1.76

3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.99 $2.99

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.77 $1.77

-18.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$48.59 $48.59

16.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.04 $2.04

48.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.21 $1.21

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$19.99 $19.99

-81.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.86 $0.86

70.93%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$26.3K $26.3K

1.74%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$25.6K $25.6K

4.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$167 $167

-42.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$52.3 $52.3

-78.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$69.8 $69.8

-75.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$101 $101

-33.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$20.21 $20.21

-46.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.88 $9.88

-24.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,063 $1,063

-55.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$12.0K $12.0K

-6.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$42.83 $42.83

45.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$21.14 $21.14

34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$79.0 $79.0

19.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$88.8 $88.8

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$944 $944

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$934 $934

-47.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,478 $1,478

30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,722 $1,722

-16.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,622 $1,622

157.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,604 $1,604

89.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,696 $3,696

-86.41%

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 Sioux City, IA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sioux City, IA

$934 43% 90.2% $443

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sioux City, IA

$342 15.8% 28.6% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sioux City, IA

$289 13.3% 132% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.8% 14.5% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sioux City, IA

$319 14.7% 162% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sioux City, IA

$121 5.6% 46.8% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sioux City, IA

$64 2.9% 9.7% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $944 in Sioux City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sioux City, IA pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Sioux City, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $342 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

85,797

💱 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 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Sioux City, IA 14,220 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sioux City, IA

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 Sioux City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 86% 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 $944 in Sioux City, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,063 in Sioux City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Sioux City, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,173 in Sioux City, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sioux City, IA. 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, Sioux City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.