Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winona, MN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,972 in Winona, MN, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Winona, MN
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Winona, MN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Winona, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,972

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,972 in Winona, MN versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Winona, MN $1,972
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,938 in Winona, MN versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Winona, MN $2,938
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,903 in Winona, MN versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Winona, MN $3,903
Phuket $3,154

Living in Winona, MN is roughly 54% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Winona, MN is 45% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.97 $14.97

$4.47 ฿151

234.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 $57.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

77.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 $11.59

$8.81 ฿297

31.56%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$2.83 ฿95.5

91.52%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$0.87 ฿29.43

105.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.49 ฿16.67

110.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.56 ฿86.4

51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.68 ฿124

66.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.46 ฿49.35

-4.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

178.00%

Eggs

$1.76 $1.76

$2.09 ฿70.5

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$19.07 ฿644

-23.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$3.30 ฿111

302.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.27 $20.27

$10.91 ฿368

85.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.93 ฿99.0

59.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.69 ฿57.1

-59.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.25 ฿75.8

127.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.08 ฿70.1

131.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.51 ฿51.0

82.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.38 ฿46.56

117.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.07 ฿35.99

94.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.52 ฿17.52

361.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 $10.88

$4.20 ฿142

159.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.71 $15.71

$18.79 ฿634

-16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.82 ฿61.5

45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.84 ฿95.9

55.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 ฿49.03

38.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 $66.7

$56.7 ฿1,913

17.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.02 ฿102

35.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.02 ฿34.36

99.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.61 $44.61

$3.69 ฿125

1108.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 ฿49.81

-32.65%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

12.16%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-4.22%

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

$197 $197

$96.4 ฿3,254

104.68%

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

$30.25 $30.25

$11.26 ฿380

168.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 $51.9

$16.85 ฿569

207.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 $61.0

$67.2 ฿2,270

-9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$7.50 ฿253

34.53%

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

$1,664 $1,664

$476 ฿16.1K

249.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

110.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 $63.1

$62.4 ฿2,106

1.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$28.41 ฿959

79.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$94.3 ฿3,184

15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$85.8 ฿2,898

40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 $894

$716 ฿24.2K

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 $710

$491 ฿16.6K

44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-33.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 $1,188

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-16.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,700 $1,700

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-59.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,657 $1,657

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-45.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

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

Last update for Winona, MN: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Winona, MN

$710 36%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 30.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Winona, MN

$396 20.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 32.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winona, MN

$279 14.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 55.4% $155

Eating Out

Winona, MN

$263 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Winona, MN

$155 7.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.2% $33

Getting Around

Winona, MN

$89 4.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 20.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Winona, MN

$81 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $894 in Winona, MN and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Winona, MN vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Winona, MN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

12 h ahead of Winona, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,533

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Winona, MN Phuket 14,150 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

Winona, MN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,958 in Winona, MN and $1,917 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: $894 in Winona, MN versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,664 in Winona, MN versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Winona, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,972 in Winona, MN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Winona, MN. 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, Winona, MN 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 35% less than in Winona, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.