Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacramento, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
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Sacramento, CA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,000 in Sacramento, CA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sacramento, CA $3,000
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,471 in Sacramento, CA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sacramento, CA $4,471
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,943 in Sacramento, CA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sacramento, CA $5,943
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sacramento, CA is roughly 135% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sacramento, CA is 120% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 $21.12

$4.47 ฿151

372.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

207.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.26 $12.26

$8.81 ฿297

39.16%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$2.83 ฿95.4

83.39%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$0.87 ฿29.42

234.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.49 ฿16.66

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.56 ฿86.3

206.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.68 ฿124

112.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.66 ฿56.0

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.46 ฿49.32

184.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.50 ฿50.5

206.00%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.09 ฿70.5

180.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.07 ฿643

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$3.30 ฿111

358.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$10.91 ฿368

69.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.93 ฿98.9

69.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.69 ฿57.0

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.25 ฿75.8

96.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.08 ฿70.1

172.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.51 ฿51.0

143.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.38 ฿46.54

139.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.07 ฿35.97

124.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.52 ฿17.51

401.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.83 $11.83

$4.20 ฿142

181.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 $14.21

$18.79 ฿634

-24.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.82 ฿61.5

42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.84 ฿95.9

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.45 ฿49.00

77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100.0 $100.0

$56.7 ฿1,912

76.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.02 ฿102

34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.02 ฿34.34

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.35 $25.35

$3.69 ฿125

586.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.47 ฿49.78

10.20%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

28.96%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-0.15%

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

$231 $231

$96.4 ฿3,252

139.57%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$11.26 ฿380

441.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$16.85 ฿569

309.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.12 $31.12

$67.2 ฿2,269

-53.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 $40.69

$10.73 ฿362

279.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.25 $17.25

$7.50 ฿253

130.00%

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

$1,532 $1,532

$476 ฿16.1K

221.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

68.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$62.4 ฿2,105

-2.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.13 $47.13

$28.41 ฿959

65.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$94.3 ฿3,182

-1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$85.8 ฿2,896

52.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,986 $1,986

$716 ฿24.2K

177.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$491 ฿16.6K

203.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,109 $3,109

$1,927 ฿65.0K

61.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,505 $2,505

$1,431 ฿48.3K

75.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,486 $5,486

$4,175 ฿140.9K

31.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,428 $3,428

$3,045 ฿102.8K

12.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,815 $4,815

$502 ฿17.0K

858.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.57

18.31%

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

Last update for Sacramento, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 49.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 67.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sacramento, CA

$463 15.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 42.5% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacramento, CA

$361 12%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.5% $236

Eating Out

Sacramento, CA

$346 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.9% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Sacramento, CA

$149 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.3% $27

Getting Around

Sacramento, CA

$124 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 43% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Sacramento, CA

$66 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,986 in Sacramento, CA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Sacramento, CA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

15 h ahead of Sacramento, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

524,943

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Sacramento, CA Phuket 13,410 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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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

Sacramento, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sacramento, CA is about 9.6 times higher, 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: $1,986 in Sacramento, CA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,532 in Sacramento, CA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Sacramento, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sacramento, 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 Sacramento, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.