Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockton, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,796 in Stockton, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Stockton, CA
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Stockton, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Stockton, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,796

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,796 in Stockton, CA versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Stockton, CA $2,796
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,255 in Stockton, CA versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Stockton, CA $4,255
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,715 in Stockton, CA versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Stockton, CA $5,715
Phuket $2,822

Living in Stockton, 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: Stockton, CA is 109% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.33 $22.33

$4.35 ฿146

413.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$32.45 ฿1,087

127.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$8.42 ฿282

40.50%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$2.81 ฿94.0

106.05%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$0.87 ฿29.31

268.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.46 ฿15.40

393.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$2.59 ฿86.6

206.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 $6.67

$3.64 ฿122

83.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.71 ฿57.2

-16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.45 ฿48.45

201.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.56 ฿52.3

171.15%

Eggs

$5.75 $5.75

$2.10 ฿70.3

173.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$19.53 ฿654

-54.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.29 $14.29

$3.40 ฿114

320.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.19 $22.19

$11.14 ฿373

99.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.83 ฿94.9

91.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.62 ฿54.4

-19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.22 ฿74.5

60.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$2.15 ฿71.9

160.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.49 ฿49.98

40.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.33 ฿44.43

127.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 ฿35.74

119.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.51 ฿17.02

405.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.58 $11.58

$4.38 ฿147

164.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.31 $15.31

$18.77 ฿629

-18.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.74 ฿58.3

-2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.78 ฿93.0

-56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.17 ฿72.6

16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.61 $40.61

$22.28 ฿746

82.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.02 ฿101

13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.06 ฿35.45

186.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.63 $29.63

$3.71 ฿124

698.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.43 ฿47.91

10.49%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.3K ฿882.6K

-3.72%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.2K ฿877.8K

-2.63%

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

$271 $271

$96.7 ฿3,238

180.32%

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

$47.03 $47.03

$11.41 ฿382

312.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$17.11 ฿573

392.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 $37.39

$52.8 ฿1,769

-29.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 $13.92

$7.65 ฿256

81.96%

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

$248 $248

$555 ฿18.6K

-55.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K $14.9K

$11.3K ฿377.9K

31.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 $60.0

$63.4 ฿2,124

-5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.28 $29.28

$28.61 ฿958

2.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$96.7 ฿3,240

-16.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$88.6 ฿2,968

-18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$735 ฿24.6K

115.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$458 ฿15.3K

194.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,866 $2,866

$2,102 ฿70.4K

36.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 $2,596

$1,187 ฿39.8K

118.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,009 $3,009

$3,493 ฿117.0K

-13.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,047 $3,047

$2,491 ฿83.5K

22.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,835 $3,835

$501 ฿16.8K

665.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Stockton, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockton, CA

$1.3K 48.4%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 66% $891

Groceries & Markets

Stockton, CA

$434 15.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 38.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockton, CA

$402 14.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 68.9% $277

Eating Out

Stockton, CA

$359 12.9%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 66.7% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Stockton, CA

$109 3.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 14.7% $16

Getting Around

Stockton, CA

$69 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 43.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Stockton, CA

$65 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 4.4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Stockton, CA and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockton, CA pays 666% 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: $74.0 in Stockton, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stockton, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

14 h ahead of Stockton, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,658

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Stockton, CA Phuket 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Stockton, CA
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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 135% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 666% higher in Stockton, CA, 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: $1,583 in Stockton, CA versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $248 in Stockton, CA versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Stockton, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,796 in Stockton, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stockton, 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 Stockton, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Stockton, CA 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 135% less than in Stockton, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.