Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaumburg, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Schaumburg, IL
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Schaumburg, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Schaumburg, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,270

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Schaumburg, IL $3,270
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,555 in Schaumburg, IL versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Schaumburg, IL $4,555
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,840 in Schaumburg, IL versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Schaumburg, IL $5,840
Phuket $2,845

Living in Schaumburg, IL is roughly 171% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Schaumburg, IL is 141% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 $15.02

$4.40 ฿147

241.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$32.26 ฿1,078

212.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 $13.24

$8.76 ฿293

51.14%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$2.83 ฿94.5

69.61%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$0.90 ฿30.14

184.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.47 ฿15.56

372.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.55 ฿85.2

77.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.83 ฿128

60.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.73 ฿57.7

-50.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.47 ฿49.11

182.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$1.51 ฿50.6

396.69%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$2.17 ฿72.7

86.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.89 $14.89

$19.70 ฿658

-24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$3.34 ฿112

305.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 $17.42

$11.16 ฿373

56.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.85 ฿95.1

88.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.70 ฿56.9

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.19 ฿73.3

120.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.05 ฿68.4

99.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.45 ฿48.57

130.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.38 ฿46.16

136.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 ฿35.69

84.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$0.51 ฿16.91

566.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.77 $17.77

$4.26 ฿142

317.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.19 $19.19

$18.58 ฿621

3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.85 ฿95.2

96.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 ฿48.45

-35.86%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-1.81%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

8.82%

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

$339 $339

$96.4 ฿3,221

252.22%

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

$77.6 $77.6

$11.04 ฿369

602.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$149 $149

$17.14 ฿573

769.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 $64.1

$52.2 ฿1,744

22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.45 $40.45

$11.16 ฿373

262.46%

Cinema Ticket

$19.63 $19.63

$7.81 ฿261

151.34%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$85.0K $85.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

634.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 $74.3

$64.2 ฿2,146

15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$28.69 ฿959

76.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$95.4 ฿3,187

5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$88.0 ฿2,940

37.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 $1,896

$737 ฿24.6K

157.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 $1,713

$462 ฿15.5K

270.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,769 $2,769

$2,095 ฿70.0K

32.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 $2,507

$1,201 ฿40.1K

108.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,132 $2,132

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-38.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 $2,090

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,001 $5,001

$501 ฿16.7K

898.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.57

9.52%

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

Last update for Schaumburg, IL: 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

Schaumburg, IL

$1.7K 52.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 73% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaumburg, IL

$566 17.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 78% $441

Groceries & Markets

Schaumburg, IL

$461 * 14.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 41.7% $192

Eating Out

Schaumburg, IL

$271 8.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Schaumburg, IL

$156 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Schaumburg, IL

$103 3.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 34.4% $36

Getting Around

Schaumburg, IL

- * 0%

Phuket

$39 3.3%

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 $1,896 in Schaumburg, IL and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaumburg, IL pays 899% 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: $101 in Schaumburg, IL vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $461 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Schaumburg, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

12 h ahead of Schaumburg, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,723

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 →

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Schaumburg, IL Phuket 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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

Schaumburg, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 171% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 899% higher in Schaumburg, IL, 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: $1,896 in Schaumburg, IL versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Schaumburg, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $101 in Schaumburg, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Schaumburg, IL. 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 Schaumburg, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Schaumburg, IL 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 171% less than in Schaumburg, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.