Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,588 in Waukegan, IL versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,760 in Waukegan, IL versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Waukegan, IL versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
Phuket $2,845

Living in Waukegan, IL is roughly 114% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Waukegan, IL is 91% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$4.40 ฿147

327.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$32.26 ฿1,078

129.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$8.76 ฿293

26.60%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.83 ฿94.5

78.09%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$0.90 ฿30.14

174.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.47 ฿15.56

314.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.55 ฿85.2

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$3.83 ฿128

86.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.73 ฿57.7

-41.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.47 ฿49.11

134.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.51 ฿50.6

177.48%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$2.17 ฿72.7

87.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$19.70 ฿658

-36.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$3.34 ฿112

243.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.16 ฿373

36.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.85 ฿95.1

73.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.19 ฿73.3

89.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.05 ฿68.4

124.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.45 ฿48.57

91.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.38 ฿46.16

107.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.07 ฿35.69

88.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.51 ฿16.91

307.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$4.26 ฿142

124.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$18.58 ฿621

-25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 ฿59.7

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.85 ฿95.2

15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.26 ฿75.6

-13.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.01 ฿101

16.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.06 ฿35.34

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$3.86 ฿129

649.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 ฿48.45

-37.24%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

12.98%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.00%

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

$188 $188

$96.4 ฿3,221

95.38%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$11.04 ฿369

369.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$17.14 ฿573

286.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$52.2 ฿1,744

-18.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$7.81 ฿261

71.19%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$556 ฿18.6K

136.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

103.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$64.2 ฿2,146

-19.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$28.69 ฿959

40.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-8.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$88.0 ฿2,940

29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$737 ฿24.6K

121.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$462 ฿15.5K

196.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$2,095 ฿70.0K

23.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,201 ฿40.1K

86.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-19.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-3.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Waukegan, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 66.3% $911

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.6% $113

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.5% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 59.4% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.8% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 105% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Waukegan, IL and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Waukegan, IL vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

10:56 10:56 AM

12 h ahead of Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Waukegan, IL Phuket 14,390 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, IL
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

Waukegan, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 114% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,882 in Waukegan, IL 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: $1,631 in Waukegan, IL versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,314 in Waukegan, IL versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $74.0 in Waukegan, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Waukegan, IL. 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 Waukegan, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Waukegan, IL 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 114% less than in Waukegan, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.