Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waikiki, HI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,148 in Waikiki, HI, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Waikiki, HI
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Waikiki, HI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Waikiki, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,148

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,148 in Waikiki, HI versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Waikiki, HI $3,148
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,580 in Waikiki, HI versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Waikiki, HI $4,580
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,011 in Waikiki, HI versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Waikiki, HI $6,011
Phuket $3,115

Living in Waikiki, HI is roughly 143% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Waikiki, HI is 133% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.12 $25.12

$4.39 ฿147

472.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$140 $140

$32.31 ฿1,080

332.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.23 $15.23

$8.70 ฿291

75.06%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$2.72 ฿91.1

118.38%

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

$5.06 $5.06

$0.93 ฿31.11

444.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$0.50 ฿16.70

626.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.44 $10.44

$2.53 ฿84.6

312.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.37 $11.37

$3.63 ฿121

213.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.74 ฿58.2

-41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.45 ฿48.51

142.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$10.14 $10.14

$1.50 ฿50.2

576.00%

Eggs

$8.84 $8.84

$2.17 ฿72.6

307.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$19.09 ฿638

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.34 $20.34

$3.40 ฿114

498.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.60 $21.60

$10.90 ฿364

98.17%

Apples (1kg)

$8.26 $8.26

$2.94 ฿98.3

180.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.69 ฿56.6

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.19 ฿73.4

216.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$2.12 ฿71.0

339.62%

Potato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.46 ฿48.77

232.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.37 ฿45.74

256.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.08 ฿35.98

390.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.55 ฿18.24

452.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.88 $12.88

$4.43 ฿148

190.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 $18.20

$18.25 ฿610

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.77 ฿59.3

51.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.88 ฿96.3

97.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.45 ฿48.40

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$54.9 ฿1,835

9.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.51 ฿50.6

137.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.78 ฿25.94

238.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.63 $45.63

$3.84 ฿128

1088.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.49 ฿49.74

0.67%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.9K ฿898.9K

34.21%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.3K ฿881.0K

1.00%

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

$250 $250

$97.8 ฿3,271

155.85%

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

$65.4 $65.4

$11.29 ฿378

479.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$17.19 ฿575

275.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 $41.02

$68.3 ฿2,285

-39.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$19.78 $19.78

$7.43 ฿248

166.22%

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

$2,118 $2,118

$530 ฿17.7K

299.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K $28.2K

$18.8K ฿628.1K

50.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$61.7 ฿2,062

3.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.25 $47.25

$28.25 ฿945

67.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$96.0 ฿3,210

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$86.8 ฿2,903

53.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$721 ฿24.1K

123.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 $1,424

$509 ฿17.0K

179.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,612 $2,612

$1,950 ฿65.2K

33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 $1,965

$1,397 ฿46.7K

40.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,676 $2,676

$4,192 ฿140.2K

-36.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$3,298 ฿110.3K

-26.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Waikiki, HI: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waikiki, HI

$1.4K 45.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 64.3% $915

Groceries & Markets

Waikiki, HI

$594 18.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 55.1% $327

Eating Out

Waikiki, HI

$428 13.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 72% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waikiki, HI

$380 12.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 66.8% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Waikiki, HI

$156 5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 21.3% $33

Getting Around

Waikiki, HI

$86 2.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 22.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Waikiki, HI

$81 2.6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 3.2% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Waikiki, HI and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $140 in Waikiki, HI vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $594 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waikiki, HI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

18:19 6:19 PM

17 h ahead of Waikiki, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,862

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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Waikiki, HI Phuket 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Waikiki, HI
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

Waikiki, HI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,722 in Waikiki, HI and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,612 in Waikiki, HI versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,118 in Waikiki, HI versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Waikiki, HI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,148 in Waikiki, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Waikiki, HI. 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.

Safety-wise, Waikiki, HI and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Waikiki, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.