Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,756 in Wausau, WI, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
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Wausau, WI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,756

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Wausau, WI $1,756
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,748 in Wausau, WI versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Wausau, WI $2,748
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,740 in Wausau, WI versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Wausau, WI $3,740
Phuket $2,845

Living in Wausau, WI is roughly 45% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wausau, WI is 30% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$4.40 ฿147

359.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$32.26 ฿1,078

130.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 $8.58

$8.76 ฿293

-2.05%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$2.83 ฿94.5

77.03%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$0.90 ฿30.14

215.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.47 ฿15.56

329.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.55 ฿85.2

120.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.83 ฿128

46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.73 ฿57.7

-52.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.47 ฿49.11

87.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.51 ฿50.6

251.66%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$2.17 ฿72.7

104.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$19.70 ฿658

-56.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$3.34 ฿112

94.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$11.16 ฿373

21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.85 ฿95.1

44.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.70 ฿56.9

-14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.19 ฿73.3

74.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.05 ฿68.4

101.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.45 ฿48.57

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.38 ฿46.16

76.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.07 ฿35.69

106.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.51 ฿16.91

101.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$4.26 ฿142

96.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 $8.96

$18.58 ฿621

-51.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.78 ฿59.7

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.85 ฿95.2

-22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.01 ฿101

-9.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.06 ฿35.34

52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.12 $21.12

$3.86 ฿129

447.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.45 ฿48.45

-44.14%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

27.26%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-4.76%

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

$160 $160

$96.4 ฿3,221

65.94%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$11.04 ฿369

502.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$17.14 ฿573

315.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.10 $30.10

$52.2 ฿1,744

-42.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 $6.03

$7.81 ฿261

-22.79%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$556 ฿18.6K

233.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

112.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.25 $25.25

$64.2 ฿2,146

-60.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 $40.16

$28.69 ฿959

39.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 $64.0

$95.4 ฿3,187

-32.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 $84.8

$88.0 ฿2,940

-3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$737 ฿24.6K

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 $699

$462 ฿15.5K

51.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$1,201 ฿40.1K

13.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-49.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,809 $1,809

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-28.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,488 $3,488

$501 ฿16.7K

596.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

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

Last update for Wausau, WI: 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

Wausau, WI

$699 39.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 33.9% $237

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$306 17.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.4% $185

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$303 17.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 11.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$298 17%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 58.2% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 60.8% $26

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 264% $29

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 $939 in Wausau, WI and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 597% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Wausau, WI vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

12 h ahead of Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

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 →

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Wausau, WI Phuket 14,080 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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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

Wausau, WI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 597% higher in Wausau, WI, 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: $939 in Wausau, WI versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,855 in Wausau, WI 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 $75.0 in Wausau, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,756 in Wausau, WI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wausau, WI. 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 Wausau, WI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wausau, WI 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 45% less than in Wausau, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.