Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ukiah, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,567 in Ukiah, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Ukiah, CA
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Ukiah, CA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ukiah, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ukiah, CA

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 Ukiah, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,567 in Ukiah, CA.

Phuket $1,278
Ukiah, CA $2,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,809 in Ukiah, CA.

Phuket $2,216
Ukiah, CA $3,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,051 in Ukiah, CA.

Phuket $3,154
Ukiah, CA $5,051

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ukiah, CA is 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.89 $20.89

-78.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$54.7 $54.7

-40.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.12 $11.12

-20.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.51 $5.51

-48.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.93 $2.93

-70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.32 $2.32

-78.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.94 $4.94

-48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.09 $6.09

-39.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.19 $1.19

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$4.06 $4.06

-64.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.01 $5.01

-70.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.13 $6.13

-65.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.98 $11.98

59.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.86 $7.86

-58.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.05 $18.05

-39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.37 $4.37

-32.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.18 $2.18

-22.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$8.38 $8.38

-73.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.65 $6.65

-68.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.19 $5.19

-70.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.98 $2.98

-53.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.53 $2.53

-57.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$3.07 $3.07

-83.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.71 $11.71

-64.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.83 $19.83

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.69 $1.69

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.65 $3.65

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.22 $3.22

-6.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.33 $2.33

-56.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$40.03 $40.03

-90.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.54 $1.54

-4.55%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.8K $27.8K

-3.74%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.4K $26.4K

0.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$191 $191

-49.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$63.1 $63.1

-82.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$67.1 $67.1

-74.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$106 $106

-36.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.07 $12.07

-37.86%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,483 $1,483

-67.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$37.1K $37.1K

-69.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$36.85 $36.85

69.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$14.93 $14.93

90.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$85.5 $85.5

10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$141 $141

-39.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,491 $1,491

-51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,199 $1,199

-59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,326 $2,326

-17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,134 $2,134

-32.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,095 $4,095

1.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,040 $4,040

-24.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.77

-17.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ukiah, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ukiah, CA

$1.2K 46.7% 144% $708

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ukiah, CA

$452 17.6% 69.8% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ukiah, CA

$321 12.5% 158% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ukiah, CA

$125 4.9% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ukiah, CA

$325 12.6% 167% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ukiah, CA

$130 5.1% 58.5% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ukiah, CA

$15 * 0.6% 78.9% $56

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 $1,491 in Ukiah, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Ukiah, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $452 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Ukiah, CA

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

16,036

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Ukiah, CA 13,250 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ukiah, CA

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 Ukiah, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,851 in Ukiah, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,491 in Ukiah, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,483 in Ukiah, CA. 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 $55 in Ukiah, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,567 in Ukiah, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ukiah, CA. 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.