Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sugar Land, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Sugar Land, TX
Learn more

Sugar Land, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sugar Land, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sugar Land, TX

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 Sugar Land, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX.

Phuket $1,278
Sugar Land, TX $2,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,321 in Sugar Land, TX.

Phuket $2,216
Sugar Land, TX $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,407 in Sugar Land, TX.

Phuket $3,154
Sugar Land, TX $4,407

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Sugar Land, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sugar Land, TX is 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.18 $20.18

-77.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$75.3 $75.3

-56.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.04 $11.04

-20.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$5.40 $5.40

-47.59%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.64 $2.64

-67.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.33 $2.33

-78.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.82 $5.82

-56.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.93 $7.93

-53.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.11 $1.11

49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.24 $3.24

-54.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$3.19 $3.19

-52.98%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.97 $3.97

-47.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.48 $11.48

66.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.67 $12.67

-73.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.99 $15.99

-31.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.63 $4.63

-36.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.40 $1.40

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.97 $2.97

-24.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.88 $3.88

-46.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.10 $2.10

-28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.28 $2.28

-39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.75 $1.75

-38.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$2.15 $2.15

-75.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.16 $10.16

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$14.34 $14.34

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.55 $2.55

-28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.97 $2.97

-4.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.83 $2.83

6.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.41 $1.41

-27.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$23.88 $23.88

-84.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.91 $0.91

61.54%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$34.7K $34.7K

-22.73%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.9K $26.9K

-0.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$199 $199

-51.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$57.5 $57.5

-80.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$70.5 $70.5

-76.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$39.85 $39.85

68.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.15 $14.15

-47.00%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$1,466 $1,466

-67.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-47.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$49.52 $49.52

25.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$42.75 $42.75

-33.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$85.1 $85.1

10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$94.0 $94.0

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,366 $1,366

-47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,013 $1,013

-51.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,036 $2,036

-5.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,714 $1,714

-16.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,830 $1,830

128.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,829 $1,829

66.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$7,209 $7,209

-93.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.7

-16.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sugar Land, TX: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sugar Land, TX

$1K 45.3% 106% $522

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sugar Land, TX

$372 16.6% 39.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sugar Land, TX

$327 14.6% 162% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sugar Land, TX

$122 5.5% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sugar Land, TX

$324 14.5% 166% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sugar Land, TX

$68 3.1% 17.1% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sugar Land, TX

$9.9 * 0.4% 86% $61

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 $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sugar Land, TX pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $75 in Sugar Land, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $372 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Sugar Land, TX

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

21:35 9:35 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

79,943

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 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 Sugar Land, TX 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sugar Land, TX

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 Sugar Land, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 93% 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 $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,466 in Sugar Land, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in Sugar Land, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sugar Land, TX. 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, Sugar Land, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.