Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sugar Land, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Sugar Land, TX
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Sugar Land, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sugar Land, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,235

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sugar Land, TX $2,235
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in Sugar Land, TX versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sugar Land, TX $3,321
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,407 in Sugar Land, TX versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sugar Land, TX $4,407
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sugar Land, TX is roughly 75% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sugar Land, TX is 64% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$4.47 ฿151

351.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$32.41 ฿1,092

132.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 $11.04

$8.81 ฿297

25.31%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.83 ฿95.3

90.81%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.87 ฿29.37

203.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.49 ฿16.64

375.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.56 ฿86.2

127.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.68 ฿124

115.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.46 ฿49.25

121.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.50 ฿50.4

112.67%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$2.09 ฿70.4

89.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$19.07 ฿642

-39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$3.30 ฿111

283.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 $15.99

$10.91 ฿368

46.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.93 ฿98.7

58.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.69 ฿56.9

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.25 ฿75.7

32.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.08 ฿70.0

86.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.51 ฿50.9

39.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.38 ฿46.47

65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.07 ฿35.91

63.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.52 ฿17.49

313.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$4.20 ฿142

141.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$18.79 ฿633

-23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.82 ฿61.4

40.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.84 ฿95.7

4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.02 ฿102

-6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.02 ฿34.29

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$3.69 ฿124

547.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 ฿49.70

-38.10%

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

$34.7K $34.7K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

29.41%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

0.64%

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

$199 $199

$96.4 ฿3,247

106.15%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$11.26 ฿380

410.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$16.85 ฿568

318.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 $39.85

$67.2 ฿2,266

-40.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$7.50 ฿253

88.67%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$476 ฿16.0K

208.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

90.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$62.4 ฿2,102

-20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$28.41 ฿957

50.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$94.3 ฿3,178

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$85.8 ฿2,892

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$716 ฿24.1K

90.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 $1,013

$491 ฿16.5K

106.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 $2,036

$1,927 ฿64.9K

5.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 $1,714

$1,431 ฿48.2K

19.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,830 $1,830

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-56.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,829 $1,829

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-39.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,209 $7,209

$502 ฿16.9K

1335.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.57

20.29%

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

Last update for Sugar Land, TX: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sugar Land, TX

$1K 45.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.5% $522

Groceries & Markets

Sugar Land, TX

$372 16.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sugar Land, TX

$327 14.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 61.9% $202

Eating Out

Sugar Land, TX

$324 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.5% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Sugar Land, TX

$122 5.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sugar Land, TX

$68 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 20.7% $14

Getting Around

Sugar Land, TX

$9.9 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 616% $61

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 $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sugar Land, TX pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Sugar Land, TX vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sugar Land, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

10:08 10:08 AM

13 h ahead of Sugar Land, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,943

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sugar Land, TX Phuket 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sugar Land, TX
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

Sugar Land, TX vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% 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 Sugar Land, TX is about 14 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: $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Sugar Land, TX versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in Sugar Land, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sugar Land, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Sugar Land, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.