Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yakima, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,253 in Yakima, WA, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Yakima, WA
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Yakima, WA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Yakima, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yakima, WA

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 Yakima, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,253 in Yakima, WA.

Phuket $1,208
Yakima, WA $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,276 in Yakima, WA.

Phuket $2,027
Yakima, WA $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,299 in Yakima, WA.

Phuket $2,845
Yakima, WA $4,299

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Yakima, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Yakima, WA is 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$15.57 $15.57

-71.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,088

$64.1 $64.1

-49.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$11.38 $11.38

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.54 $4.54

-37.67%

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

$0.90 ฿30.42

$2.15 $2.15

-58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$2.63 $2.63

-82.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$3.78 $3.78

-32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$4.17 $4.17

-8.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$0.99 $0.99

74.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.56

$3.90 $3.90

-62.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.60 $3.60

-58.06%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.22 $3.22

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿664

$11.70 $11.70

68.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$8.88 $8.88

-62.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿376

$14.80 $14.80

-24.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$3.48 $3.48

-18.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.58 $1.58

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$4.27 $4.27

-48.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$3.42 $3.42

-40.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.02

$2.28 $2.28

-36.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.59

$2.16 $2.16

-36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.02

$2.05 $2.05

-47.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$1.69 $1.69

-69.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$12.34 $12.34

-65.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$14.06 $14.06

32.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.75 $1.75

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$4.83 $4.83

-40.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$5.08 $5.08

-55.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿745

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$2.62 $2.62

14.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.67

$0.92 $0.92

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$30.08 $30.08

-87.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.27 $1.27

14.17%

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

$26.3K ฿888.1K

$28.3K $28.3K

-6.83%

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

$26.9K ฿908.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

-0.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$219 $219

-55.93%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$54.1 $54.1

-79.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$69.1 $69.1

-75.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$51.4 $51.4

1.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$14.10 $14.10

-44.61%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$1,720 $1,720

-67.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.6K

$7,241 $7,241

59.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$61.7 $61.7

4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$43.66 $43.66

-34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$81.5 $81.5

16.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$110 $110

-19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$1,044 $1,044

-29.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$1,063 $1,063

-56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$1,694 $1,694

23.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$1,749 $1,749

-31.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.6K

$2,662 $2,662

31.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$2,471 $2,471

2.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$3,530 $3,530

-85.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.44

-13.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Yakima, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Yakima, WA

$1.1K 47.2% 130% $601

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Yakima, WA

$348 15.4% 29.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Yakima, WA

$342 15.2% 175% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Yakima, WA

$133 5.9% 7.4% $9.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Yakima, WA

$260 11.5% 114% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Yakima, WA

$80 3.5% 17.4% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Yakima, WA

$28 * 1.2% 30.2% $12

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 $737 in Phuket and $1,044 in Yakima, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yakima, WA pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $64 in Yakima, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $348 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Yakima, WA

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

17:11 5:11 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

96,968

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.79 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Yakima, WA 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yakima, WA

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 Yakima, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. The 86% gap 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,044 in Yakima, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,720 in Yakima, WA. 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 $64 in Yakima, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,253 in Yakima, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yakima, WA. 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, Yakima, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.