Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vallejo, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,864 in Vallejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Vallejo, CA
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Vallejo, CA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Vallejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vallejo, 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 Vallejo, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,864 in Vallejo, CA.

Phuket $1,208
Vallejo, CA $2,864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $4,660 in Vallejo, CA.

Phuket $2,027
Vallejo, CA $4,660

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $6,456 in Vallejo, CA.

Phuket $2,845
Vallejo, CA $6,456

Living in Phuket costs roughly 58% less than in Vallejo, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Vallejo, CA is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$27.14 $27.14

-83.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$91.1 $91.1

-64.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.92 $11.92

-26.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.75 $4.75

-40.42%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.80 $2.80

-67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.77 $2.77

-83.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.80 $7.80

-67.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.12 $9.12

-58.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.41 $1.41

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$4.49 $4.49

-67.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.05 $4.05

-62.72%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.04 $5.04

-56.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$19.21 $19.21

2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$14.11 $14.11

-76.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.55 $14.55

-23.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.35 $4.35

-34.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.12 $2.12

-19.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$5.44 $5.44

-59.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$6.72 $6.72

-69.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.93 $3.93

-63.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.63 $3.63

-61.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.94 $2.94

-63.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.02 $2.02

-74.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.90 $9.90

-56.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.02 $10.02

85.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.69 $1.69

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.13 $2.13

33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$5.06 $5.06

-55.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$70.6 $70.6

-68.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.08 $4.08

-26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.89 $1.89

-43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$28.40 $28.40

-86.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.36 $1.36

6.62%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.9K $27.9K

-5.70%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.5K $24.5K

10.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$139 $139

-30.72%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$48.45 $48.45

-77.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$71.4 $71.4

-76.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.60 $37.60

38.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.67 $10.67

4.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.84 $12.84

-39.17%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$709 $709

-21.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,966 $7,966

45.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$42.01 $42.01

52.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$36.83 $36.83

-22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$85.3 $85.3

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$78.3 $78.3

12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,595 $1,595

-53.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,494 $1,494

-69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$3,191 $3,191

-34.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$3,265 $3,265

-63.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,666 $3,666

-4.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,728 $3,728

-32.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$4,323 $4,323

-88.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.46

-13.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vallejo, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Vallejo, CA

$1.5K 52.2% 223% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Vallejo, CA

$445 15.5% 65.6% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Vallejo, CA

$259 9% 108% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Vallejo, CA

$109 3.8% 12.3% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Vallejo, CA

$389 13.6% 221% $268

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Vallejo, CA

$63 2.2% 6.6% $4.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Vallejo, CA

$104 3.6% 165% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,595 in Vallejo, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vallejo, CA pays 763% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $91.0 in Vallejo, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $445 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Vallejo, CA

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

121,692

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vallejo, CA 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vallejo, 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 Vallejo, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 763% lower in Vallejo, CA. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,595 in Vallejo, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $709 in Vallejo, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Vallejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,864 in Vallejo, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Vallejo, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vallejo, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Vallejo, CA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Vallejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.