Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Dalles, OR and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,414 in The Dalles, OR, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

The Dalles, OR, United States
Phuket, Thailand
The Dalles, OR
🇺🇸 United States
$2,414
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,414 in The Dalles, OR versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • The Dalles, OR $2,414
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,667 in The Dalles, OR versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • The Dalles, OR $3,667
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,921 in The Dalles, OR versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • The Dalles, OR $4,921
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in The Dalles, OR is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: The Dalles, OR is 77% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.97 $19.97
$4.47 ฿151
346.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.8 $93.8
$32.41 ฿1,094
189.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.14 $12.14
$8.81 ฿297
37.80%
Cappuccino
$4.48 $4.48
$2.83 ฿95.5
58.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$0.87 ฿29.43
178.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$0.49 ฿16.67
332.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.87 $4.87
$2.56 ฿86.4
90.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 $7.11
$3.68 ฿124
93.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.66 ฿56.0
-34.34%
White Bread (500g)
$3.28 $3.28
$1.46 ฿49.35
124.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.06 $4.06
$1.50 ฿50.6
170.67%
Eggs
$2.96 $2.96
$2.09 ฿70.5
41.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.94 $14.94
$19.07 ฿644
-21.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.07 $14.07
$3.30 ฿111
326.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 $11.07
$10.91 ฿368
1.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$2.93 ฿99.0
62.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.69 ฿57.1
1.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 $3.91
$2.25 ฿75.8
73.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.00 $4.00
$2.08 ฿70.1
92.31%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 $3.12
$1.51 ฿51.0
106.62%
Onion (1kg)
$3.33 $3.33
$1.38 ฿46.56
141.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.79 $1.79
$1.07 ฿35.99
67.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 $2.03
$0.52 ฿17.52
290.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.28 $11.28
$4.20 ฿142
168.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.23 $15.23
$18.79 ฿634
-18.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.82 ฿61.5
-7.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 $2.98
$2.84 ฿95.9
4.93%
🚌 Getting Around
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.45 ฿49.03
42.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.2 $59.2
$56.7 ฿1,913
4.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 $3.52
$3.02 ฿102
16.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.02 ฿34.36
116.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.16 $49.16
$3.69 ฿125
1232.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.47 ฿49.81
-16.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-5.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K $24.5K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-8.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 $188
$96.4 ฿3,254
95.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.8 $59.8
$11.26 ฿380
430.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.2 $71.2
$16.85 ฿569
322.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.12 $40.12
$67.2 ฿2,270
-40.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.92 $11.92
$7.50 ฿253
58.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,012 $1,012
$476 ฿16.1K
112.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.3K $16.3K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
44.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.48 $40.48
$62.4 ฿2,106
-35.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.67 $34.67
$28.41 ฿959
22.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.1 $60.1
$94.3 ฿3,184
-36.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.1 $80.1
$85.8 ฿2,898
-6.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,565 $1,565
$716 ฿24.2K
118.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,163 $1,163
$491 ฿16.6K
136.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,589 $2,589
$1,927 ฿65.1K
34.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,067 $2,067
$1,431 ฿48.3K
44.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,439 $2,439
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-41.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,112 $2,112
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-30.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
The Dalles, OR
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,842 $3,842
$502 ฿17.0K
664.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.59
5.57
18.31%

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

Last update for The Dalles, OR: 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
The Dalles, OR
$1.2K
Phuket
$491 57.8% $672
Groceries & Markets
The Dalles, OR
$382
Phuket
$266 30.4% $116
Monthly Utilities & Internet
The Dalles, OR
$319
Phuket
$124 61% $194
Eating Out
The Dalles, OR
$307
Phuket
$122 60.3% $185
Clothing & Footwear
The Dalles, OR
$97
Phuket
$122 25.8% $25
Getting Around
The Dalles, OR
$82
Phuket
$71 13.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
The Dalles, OR
$64
Phuket
$82 28.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in The Dalles, OR and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Dalles, OR pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in The Dalles, OR vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 The Dalles, OR
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
14:12 2:12 PM
04:12 4:12 AM
14 h ahead of The Dalles, OR
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,783
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • The Dalles, OR Phuket 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • The Dalles, OR
  • 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
The Dalles, OR vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than The Dalles, OR?
Phuket is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: The Dalles, OR or Phuket?
Average pay in The Dalles, OR is about 7.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between The Dalles, OR and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,565 in The Dalles, OR versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,012 in The Dalles, OR versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in The Dalles, OR and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in The Dalles, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in The Dalles, OR or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,414 in The Dalles, OR, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in The Dalles, OR. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in The Dalles, OR or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in The Dalles, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

The Dalles, OR vs other spots: cost of living compared

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