Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,880 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,836 in Tempe, AZ versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,792 in Tempe, AZ versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Phuket $2,867

Living in Tempe, AZ is roughly 139% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tempe, AZ is 113% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$4.58 ฿153

331.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$32.48 ฿1,086

151.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$8.55 ฿286

54.04%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$2.72 ฿91.0

93.01%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$0.94 ฿31.25

229.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.49 ฿16.39

397.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$2.59 ฿86.6

132.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.83 ฿128

87.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.74 ฿58.1

-44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.43 ฿47.82

193.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.53 ฿51.0

304.58%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.17 ฿72.7

115.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$19.15 ฿640

-28.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$3.30 ฿110

307.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$11.14 ฿372

56.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.95 ฿98.5

81.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.68 ฿56.1

17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.30 ฿76.8

79.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.13 ฿71.3

132.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.53 ฿51.1

65.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.36 ฿45.55

119.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.12 ฿37.44

98.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.55 ฿18.24

312.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$4.26 ฿142

155.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$18.19 ฿608

-24.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.74 ฿58.2

38.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.79 ฿93.3

12.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.22 ฿74.1

-12.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$22.06 ฿737

191.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.91 ฿97.3

-2.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.01 ฿33.79

35.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$3.83 ฿128

824.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.49 ฿49.85

-21.48%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

37.70%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.52%

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

$240 $240

$99.4 ฿3,321

141.91%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$11.28 ฿377

443.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$17.36 ฿580

349.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$52.3 ฿1,747

-42.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$10.85 ฿362

39.72%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$7.57 ฿253

82.30%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$558 ฿18.7K

98.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

33.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$62.9 ฿2,102

-0.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$28.58 ฿955

56.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$96.1 ฿3,213

2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.1 ฿2,943

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$729 ฿24.4K

159.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$460 ฿15.4K

217.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$2,096 ฿70.0K

21.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$1,222 ฿40.8K

37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$493 ฿16.5K

703.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Tempe, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 68.5% $1,000

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 37.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 66.3% $252

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 62.9% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.4% $19

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 52.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 16.7% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tempe, AZ pays 703% 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: $82.0 in Tempe, AZ vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

18:05 6:05 PM

14 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

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 →

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Tempe, AZ Phuket 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Tempe, 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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 703% higher in Tempe, AZ, 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: $1,894 in Tempe, AZ versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,107 in Tempe, AZ 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 61% higher in Tempe, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tempe, 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 Tempe, AZ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tempe, 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 139% less than in Tempe, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.