Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Rancho, NM and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,630 in Rio Rancho, NM, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Rio Rancho, NM
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Rio Rancho, NM Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rio Rancho, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,630

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio Rancho, NM and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio Rancho, NM and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,630 in Rio Rancho, NM versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Rio Rancho, NM $2,630
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Rio Rancho, NM versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Rio Rancho, NM $3,841
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,053 in Rio Rancho, NM versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Rio Rancho, NM $5,053
Phuket $2,845

Living in Rio Rancho, NM is roughly 118% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio Rancho, NM is 94% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.15 $17.15

$4.40 ฿147

289.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

142.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.09 $12.09

$8.76 ฿293

38.01%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$2.83 ฿94.5

99.29%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$0.90 ฿30.14

226.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.47 ฿15.56

393.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.55 ฿85.2

134.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.83 ฿128

80.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.73 ฿57.7

-38.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.47 ฿49.11

116.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.51 ฿50.6

192.05%

Eggs

$4.26 $4.26

$2.17 ฿72.7

96.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$19.70 ฿658

-39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.57 $19.57

$3.34 ฿112

485.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 $18.39

$11.16 ฿373

64.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.85 ฿95.1

90.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.70 ฿56.9

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.19 ฿73.3

82.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.05 ฿68.4

101.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.45 ฿48.57

-22.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.38 ฿46.16

145.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 ฿35.69

84.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.51 ฿16.91

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$4.26 ฿142

154.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 $16.08

$18.58 ฿621

-13.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.78 ฿59.7

15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.85 ฿95.2

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.26 ฿75.6

-10.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 $50.3

$22.10 ฿738

127.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.01 ฿101

1.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.06 ฿35.34

-26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.31 $32.31

$3.86 ฿129

737.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.45

-30.34%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

12.43%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.76%

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

$164 $164

$96.4 ฿3,221

70.59%

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

$45.41 $45.41

$11.04 ฿369

311.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 $71.4

$17.14 ฿573

316.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.19 $42.19

$52.2 ฿1,744

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$17.49 $17.49

$7.81 ฿261

123.94%

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

$1,343 $1,343

$556 ฿18.6K

141.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K $11.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-3.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 $57.5

$28.69 ฿959

100.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$95.4 ฿3,187

-16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$88.0 ฿2,940

32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$737 ฿24.6K

118.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 $1,323

$462 ฿15.5K

186.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$2,095 ฿70.0K

20.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$1,201 ฿40.1K

76.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 $3,082

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-11.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,664 $2,664

$2,523 ฿84.3K

5.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,915 $5,915

$501 ฿16.7K

1081.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Rio Rancho, NM: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio Rancho, NM

$1.3K 50.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 65% $860

Groceries & Markets

Rio Rancho, NM

$438 16.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 38.7% $170

Eating Out

Rio Rancho, NM

$306 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.4% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Rancho, NM

$281 10.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 55.7% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Rancho, NM

$139 5.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 10.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Rancho, NM

$77 2.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 12.2% $9.4

Getting Around

Rio Rancho, NM

$65 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 39.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Rio Rancho, NM and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio Rancho, NM pays 1081% 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: $78.0 in Rio Rancho, NM vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rio Rancho, NM

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

11:36 11:36 AM

13 h ahead of Rio Rancho, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,660

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Rio Rancho, NM Phuket 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio Rancho, NM
Phuket

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

Rio Rancho, NM vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1081% higher in Rio Rancho, NM, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Rio Rancho, NM versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,343 in Rio Rancho, NM versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Rio Rancho, NM. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,630 in Rio Rancho, NM, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rio Rancho, NM. 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 Rio Rancho, NM, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio Rancho, NM and Phuket 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 118% less than in Rio Rancho, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.