Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Surprise, AZ despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,305 in Surprise, AZ versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,606 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,906 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
Phuket $2,822

Living in Surprise, AZ is roughly 10% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surprise, AZ 3% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$4.35 ฿146

365.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$32.45 ฿1,087

159.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$8.42 ฿282

52.49%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$2.81 ฿94.0

113.88%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.87 ฿29.31

204.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.46 ฿15.40

434.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$2.59 ฿86.6

177.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.64 ฿122

123.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.71 ฿57.2

-41.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.45 ฿48.45

142.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.56 ฿52.3

232.69%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$2.10 ฿70.3

125.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$19.53 ฿654

-31.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$3.40 ฿114

232.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$11.14 ฿373

32.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.83 ฿94.9

62.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.62 ฿54.4

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.22 ฿74.5

74.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.15 ฿71.9

95.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.49 ฿49.98

71.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.33 ฿44.43

116.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.07 ฿35.74

99.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.51 ฿17.02

325.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$4.38 ฿147

143.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$18.77 ฿629

-26.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.74 ฿58.3

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.78 ฿93.0

14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.02 ฿101

-7.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.06 ฿35.45

32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.71 ฿124

851.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.43 ฿47.91

-20.98%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$26.3K ฿882.6K

39.41%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.2K ฿877.8K

-3.44%

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

$197 $197

$96.7 ฿3,238

103.78%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$11.41 ฿382

448.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$17.11 ฿573

331.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$52.8 ฿1,769

15.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$7.65 ฿256

72.03%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$555 ฿18.6K

96.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$11.3K ฿377.9K

38.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$63.4 ฿2,124

-11.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$28.61 ฿958

54.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$96.7 ฿3,240

3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.6 ฿2,968

30.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$2,102 ฿70.4K

0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$1,187 ฿39.8K

155.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿117.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$2,491 ฿83.5K

-36.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$501 ฿16.8K

742.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

5.57

15.62%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 31.6% $124

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 65.5% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 62.4% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 12.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 21.8% $19

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 300% $29

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 743% 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: $84.0 in Surprise, AZ vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

14 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Surprise, AZ Phuket 14,370 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, AZ
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

Surprise, AZ vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 743% higher in Surprise, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,090 in Surprise, AZ versus $555 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 $32.00 versus $84.0 in Surprise, AZ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Surprise, AZ. 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 Surprise, AZ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Surprise, AZ 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 10% less than in Surprise, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.