Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo, IA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo, IA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Waterloo, IA is 44% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 47.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Waterloo, IA is 26.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.74 $17.74
$4.65 ฿148
281.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.1 $66.1
$46.11 ฿1,463
43.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 $9.96
$8.74 ฿277
13.96%
Cappuccino
$5.07 $5.07
$3.04 ฿96.4
66.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 $2.70
$0.72 ฿22.85
275.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.39 ฿12.41
541.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 $5.89
$2.44 ฿77.4
141.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 $6.79
$3.79 ฿120
79.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$2.14 ฿68.0
-51.40%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.86 ฿59.0
4.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 $1.65
$2.19 ฿69.4
-24.66%
Eggs
$2.88 $2.88
$2.25 ฿71.2
28.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.13 $9.13
$19.73 ฿626
-53.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 $6.62
$3.79 ฿120
74.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.58 $12.58
$13.55 ฿430
-7.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$3.25 ฿103
17.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.67 ฿53.0
-30.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 $3.38
$2.39 ฿75.9
41.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.38 $4.38
$2.09 ฿66.4
109.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.53 ฿48.50
-25.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.51 ฿47.89
39.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.84 $1.84
$0.99 ฿31.37
85.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 $1.59
$0.51 ฿16.33
211.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.16 $8.16
$4.27 ฿136
91.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.92 $12.92
$20.31 ฿644
-36.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.79 ฿56.8
-1.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$2.77 ฿87.8
-37.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.40 ฿44.54
45.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿371
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.95 $4.95
$3.11 ฿98.7
59.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 $1.37
$0.99 ฿31.55
38.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.71 $28.71
$13.73 ฿436
109.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$1.32 ฿41.84
-38.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.1K $36.1K
$27.2K ฿863.9K
32.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K $25.1K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-26.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 $203
$120 ฿3,819
69.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.09 $49.09
$13.93 ฿442
252.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.5 $60.5
$18.31 ฿581
230.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.67 $43.67
$60.9 ฿1,933
-28.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.23 ฿547
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 $13.79
$8.71 ฿276
58.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,465 $1,465
$698 ฿22.1K
109.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.6K $30.6K
$15.7K ฿499.1K
94.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.46 $39.46
$57.6 ฿1,828
-31.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.85 $41.85
$34.24 ฿1,086
22.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.8 $59.8
$113 ฿3,590
-47.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 $129
$84.8 ฿2,690
52.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$867 $867
$604 ฿19.2K
43.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$738 $738
$436 ฿13.8K
69.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,977 $1,977
$2,057 ฿65.2K
-3.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$849 $849
$1,498 ฿47.5K
-43.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,501 $1,501
$4,252 ฿134.9K
-64.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,478 $1,478
$2,988 ฿94.8K
-50.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Waterloo, IA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,518 $3,518
$529 ฿16.8K
564.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
5.33
20.64%

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

Last update for Waterloo, IA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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