Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Walnut, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,568 in Walnut, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Walnut, CA
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Walnut, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Walnut, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,568 in Walnut, CA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Walnut, CA $2,568
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,821 in Walnut, CA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Walnut, CA $3,821
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,075 in Walnut, CA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Walnut, CA $5,075
Phuket $2,845

Living in Walnut, CA is roughly 113% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Walnut, CA is 90% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$4.40 ฿147

352.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

150.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$8.76 ฿293

72.83%

Cappuccino

$6.25 $6.25

$2.83 ฿94.5

120.85%

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

$3.44 $3.44

$0.90 ฿30.14

282.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.47 ฿15.56

404.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$2.55 ฿85.2

186.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.27 $9.27

$3.83 ฿128

142.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.73 ฿57.7

-37.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.47 ฿49.11

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.51 ฿50.6

220.53%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.17 ฿72.7

119.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.93 $12.93

$19.70 ฿658

-34.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.85 $19.85

$3.34 ฿112

494.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$11.16 ฿373

40.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.85 ฿95.1

77.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.70 ฿56.9

-1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.19 ฿73.3

155.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.05 ฿68.4

186.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.45 ฿48.57

157.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.38 ฿46.16

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 ฿35.69

84.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.51 ฿16.91

264.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$4.26 ฿142

173.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$18.58 ฿621

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.78 ฿59.7

12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.85 ฿95.2

45.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.26 ฿75.6

-12.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.2 $61.2

$22.10 ฿738

176.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 $6.29

$3.01 ฿101

108.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.06 ฿35.34

59.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.00 $32.00

$3.86 ฿129

729.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.45 ฿48.45

7.59%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

8.64%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-0.45%

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

$165 $165

$96.4 ฿3,221

71.45%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$11.04 ฿369

500.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 $58.2

$17.14 ฿573

239.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.06 $42.06

$52.2 ฿1,744

-19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 $15.15

$7.81 ฿261

93.98%

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

$1,872 $1,872

$556 ฿18.6K

236.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

76.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 $57.4

$64.2 ฿2,146

-10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.76 $39.76

$28.69 ฿959

38.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$95.4 ฿3,187

-2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$88.0 ฿2,940

65.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$737 ฿24.6K

108.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$462 ฿15.5K

150.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,747 $2,747

$2,095 ฿70.0K

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,201 ฿40.1K

57.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,014 $3,014

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-13.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-4.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

5.57

14.72%

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

Last update for Walnut, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Walnut, CA

$1.2K 45.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 60% $694

Groceries & Markets

Walnut, CA

$456 17.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 41.1% $187

Eating Out

Walnut, CA

$358 13.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 66.1% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Walnut, CA

$290 11.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 57% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Walnut, CA

$151 5.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 17.8% $27

Getting Around

Walnut, CA

$84 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 52.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Walnut, CA

$72 2.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 6.3% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,540 in Walnut, CA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Walnut, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Walnut, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

14 h ahead of Walnut, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,294

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Walnut, CA Phuket 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Walnut, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 113% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,852 in Walnut, CA and $1,813 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: $1,540 in Walnut, CA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,872 in Walnut, CA versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Walnut, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,568 in Walnut, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Walnut, CA. 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 Walnut, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Walnut, CA 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 113% less than in Walnut, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.