Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux City, IA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,168 in Sioux City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,168

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,168 in Sioux City, IA versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sioux City, IA $2,168
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,305 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sioux City, IA $3,305
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,442 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sioux City, IA $4,442
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sioux City, IA is roughly 80% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sioux City, IA is 61% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 $20.33

$4.58 ฿153

343.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 $56.0

$32.48 ฿1,086

72.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 $10.65

$8.55 ฿286

24.56%

Cappuccino

$6.14 $6.14

$2.72 ฿91.0

125.74%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$0.94 ฿31.25

124.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.49 ฿16.39

261.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.59 ฿86.6

95.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$3.83 ฿128

46.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.74 ฿58.1

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.43 ฿47.82

104.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.53 ฿51.0

120.92%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$2.17 ฿72.7

65.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 $7.92

$19.15 ฿640

-58.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$3.30 ฿110

129.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$11.14 ฿372

50.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.95 ฿98.5

60.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.68 ฿56.1

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.30 ฿76.8

74.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.13 ฿71.3

85.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.53 ฿51.1

30.07%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.36 ฿45.55

258.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.12 ฿37.44

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.55 ฿18.24

287.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.94 $8.94

$4.26 ฿142

109.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$18.19 ฿608

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.74 ฿58.2

-2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.79 ฿93.3

10.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.22 ฿74.1

-20.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.88 $47.88

$22.06 ฿737

117.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.91 ฿97.3

-32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.01 ฿33.79

18.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$3.83 ฿128

412.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.49 ฿49.85

-38.93%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

32.64%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-6.24%

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

$167 $167

$99.4 ฿3,321

67.73%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$11.28 ฿377

364.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$17.36 ฿580

297.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.8 $98.8

$52.3 ฿1,747

88.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 $20.08

$10.85 ฿362

85.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$7.57 ฿253

98.81%

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

$1,098 $1,098

$558 ฿18.7K

96.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

4.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 $43.40

$62.9 ฿2,102

-30.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.73 $21.73

$28.58 ฿955

-23.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 $77.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

-19.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 $89.3

$88.1 ฿2,943

1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 $923

$729 ฿24.4K

26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 $922

$460 ฿15.4K

100.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$1,222 ฿40.8K

42.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-55.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-37.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 $3,592

$493 ฿16.5K

628.54%

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 Sioux City, IA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sioux City, IA

$922 42.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 50.1% $462

Groceries & Markets

Sioux City, IA

$342 15.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 21.8% $75

Eating Out

Sioux City, IA

$320 14.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 62.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux City, IA

$288 13.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 55.6% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux City, IA

$129 5.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 47.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19% $20

Getting Around

Sioux City, IA

$63 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 38.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Sioux City, IA and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sioux City, IA pays 629% 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: $56.0 in Sioux City, IA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

12 h ahead of Sioux City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,797

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Sioux City, IA Phuket 14,220 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux City, IA
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

Sioux City, IA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 629% higher in Sioux City, IA, 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: $923 in Sioux City, IA versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,098 in Sioux City, IA versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Sioux City, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,168 in Sioux City, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sioux City, IA. 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 Sioux City, IA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sioux City, IA 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 80% less than in Sioux City, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.