Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wailuku, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,600 in Wailuku, HI, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Wailuku, HI
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Wailuku, HI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Wailuku, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Wailuku, HI

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 Wailuku, HI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,600 in Wailuku, HI.

Phuket $1,278
Wailuku, HI $2,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,819 in Wailuku, HI.

Phuket $2,216
Wailuku, HI $3,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,038 in Wailuku, HI.

Phuket $3,154
Wailuku, HI $5,038

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Wailuku, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Wailuku, HI is 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.69 $19.69

-77.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$75.6 $75.6

-57.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.63 $11.63

-24.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.42 $5.42

-47.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.69 $2.69

-67.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.97 $1.97

-75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.85 $5.85

-56.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.28 $7.28

-49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.01 $1.01

64.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.48 $3.48

-58.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.26 $4.26

-64.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.15 $4.15

-49.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.61 $12.61

51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.72 $11.72

-71.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.12 $17.12

-36.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.08 $5.08

-42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.53 $1.53

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.25 $4.25

-47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.64 $4.64

-55.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.87 $2.87

-47.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.02 $3.02

-54.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.10 $2.10

-49.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.21 $2.21

-76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.34 $9.34

-55.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.27 $15.27

23.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.83 $1.83

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.35 $3.35

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.04 $2.04

-28.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$60.3 $60.3

-6.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.14 $3.14

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.71 $1.71

-40.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$31.66 $31.66

-88.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.58 $1.58

-6.96%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.5K $28.5K

-6.09%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.0K $26.0K

2.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$197 $197

-51.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$62.5 $62.5

-82.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$68.9 $68.9

-75.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$34.71 $34.71

93.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$70.2 $70.2

-84.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.95 $13.95

-46.24%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,361 $1,361

-65.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$23.3K $23.3K

-51.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$52.1 $52.1

19.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.19 $41.19

-31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$87.9 $87.9

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$112 $112

-23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,575 $1,575

-54.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,280 $1,280

-61.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,539 $2,539

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,059 $2,059

-30.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,848 $2,848

46.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,492 $2,492

22.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Wailuku, HI: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Wailuku, HI

$1.3K 49.2% 161% $789

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Wailuku, HI

$397 15.3% 49.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Wailuku, HI

$329 12.7% 164% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wailuku, HI

$132 5.1% 8.3% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wailuku, HI

$320 12.3% 163% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Wailuku, HI

$63 2.4% 23.9% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Wailuku, HI

$80 3.1% 13.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,575 in Wailuku, HI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $76 in Wailuku, HI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $397 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Wailuku, HI

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,313

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Wailuku, HI 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Wailuku, HI

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 Wailuku, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 51% 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 $3,900 in Wailuku, HI 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 $1,575 in Wailuku, HI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,361 in Wailuku, HI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Wailuku, HI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,600 in Wailuku, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wailuku, HI. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Wailuku, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.