Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waco, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,147 in Waco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,147

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,147 in Waco, TX versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Waco, TX $2,147
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,955 in Waco, TX versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Waco, TX $2,955
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,763 in Waco, TX versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Waco, TX $3,763
Phuket $3,154

Living in Waco, TX is roughly 68% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Waco, TX is 58% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 $15.17

$4.47 ฿151

239.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

83.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$8.81 ฿297

37.34%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$2.83 ฿95.5

98.59%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$0.87 ฿29.43

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.49 ฿16.67

204.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.56 ฿86.4

91.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.68 ฿124

47.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.66 ฿56.0

-53.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.46 ฿49.35

128.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.50 ฿50.6

37.33%

Eggs

$2.87 $2.87

$2.09 ฿70.5

37.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$19.07 ฿644

-36.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 $9.72

$3.30 ฿111

194.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$10.91 ฿368

8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.93 ฿99.0

29.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.69 ฿57.1

-31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.25 ฿75.8

69.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.08 ฿70.1

78.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

57.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.38 ฿46.56

114.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 ฿35.99

66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.52 ฿17.52

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$4.20 ฿142

140.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$18.79 ฿634

-27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.84 ฿95.9

36.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.45 ฿49.03

1.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.46 $39.46

$56.7 ฿1,913

-30.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.02 ฿102

233.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.02 ฿34.36

79.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.7 $60.7

$3.69 ฿125

1544.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.47 ฿49.81

-42.86%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

1.62%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-4.13%

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

$180 $180

$96.4 ฿3,254

86.90%

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

$40.07 $40.07

$11.26 ฿380

255.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$16.85 ฿569

222.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.65 $23.65

$67.2 ฿2,270

-64.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 $8.86

$7.50 ฿253

18.13%

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

$760 $760

$476 ฿16.1K

59.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

56.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.06 $48.06

$62.4 ฿2,106

-22.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.56 $38.56

$28.41 ฿959

35.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$94.3 ฿3,184

-12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 $94.6

$85.8 ฿2,898

10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 $1,227

$716 ฿24.2K

71.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$491 ฿16.6K

115.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,583 $2,583

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-38.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 $1,753

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-42.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,230 $3,230

$502 ฿17.0K

543.14%

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 Waco, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waco, TX

$1.1K 49.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.6% $566

Groceries & Markets

Waco, TX

$317 14.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waco, TX

$274 12.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.6% $150

Eating Out

Waco, TX

$274 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.5% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Waco, TX

$119 5.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.6% $3.1

Getting Around

Waco, TX

$65 3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 9.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Waco, TX

$41 1.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 98.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Waco, TX and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waco, TX pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Waco, TX vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

12 h ahead of Waco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,486

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 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).

THB to USD in detail →

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Waco, TX Phuket 15,330 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Waco, 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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Waco, TX is about 6.4 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: $1,227 in Waco, TX versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $760 in Waco, TX versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Waco, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,147 in Waco, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Waco, 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, Waco, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.