Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yakima, WA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,253 in Yakima, WA, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Yakima, WA
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Yakima, WA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yakima, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,253

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Yakima, WA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Yakima, WA $2,253
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Yakima, WA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Yakima, WA $3,276
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,299 in Yakima, WA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Yakima, WA $4,299
Phuket $2,845

Living in Yakima, WA is roughly 86% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yakima, WA is 66% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.57 $15.57

$4.40 ฿148

253.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.1 $64.1

$32.26 ฿1,089

98.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 $11.38

$8.76 ฿296

29.91%

Cappuccino

$4.54 $4.54

$2.83 ฿95.4

60.42%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$0.90 ฿30.43

138.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.47 ฿15.71

459.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.55 ฿86.0

48.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.83 ฿129

8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.73 ฿58.2

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.47 ฿49.58

165.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.51 ฿51.1

138.41%

Eggs

$3.22 $3.22

$2.17 ฿73.3

48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$19.70 ฿665

-40.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.34 ฿113

165.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$11.16 ฿377

32.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.85 ฿96.0

22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.70 ฿57.5

-7.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.19 ฿74.0

94.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.05 ฿69.0

66.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.45 ฿49.03

57.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.38 ฿46.60

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.07 ฿36.04

91.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.51 ฿17.07

231.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.34 $12.34

$4.26 ฿144

189.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 $14.06

$18.58 ฿627

-24.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.78 ฿60.2

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.85 ฿96.1

69.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.26 ฿76.3

124.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.01 ฿102

-12.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.06 ฿35.68

-13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.08 $30.08

$3.86 ฿130

679.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.45 ฿48.91

-12.41%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.3K ฿888.3K

7.34%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.9K ฿909.1K

0.99%

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

$219 $219

$96.4 ฿3,252

126.91%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$11.04 ฿372

389.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$17.14 ฿578

303.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 $51.4

$52.2 ฿1,760

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$14.10 $14.10

$7.81 ฿263

80.54%

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

$1,720 $1,720

$556 ฿18.8K

209.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,241 $7,241

$11.6K ฿390.7K

-37.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$64.2 ฿2,166

-3.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 $43.66

$28.69 ฿968

52.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$95.4 ฿3,217

-14.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$88.0 ฿2,968

24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 $1,044

$737 ฿24.9K

41.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

$462 ฿15.6K

129.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-19.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 $1,749

$1,201 ฿40.5K

45.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,662 $2,662

$3,488 ฿117.7K

-23.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,471 $2,471

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-2.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,530 $3,530

$501 ฿16.9K

604.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

5.57

15.62%

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

Last update for Yakima, WA: 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

Yakima, WA

$1.1K 47.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 56.5% $601

Groceries & Markets

Yakima, WA

$348 15.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 22.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yakima, WA

$342 15.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 63.6% $217

Eating Out

Yakima, WA

$260 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 53.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Yakima, WA

$133 5.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.9% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Yakima, WA

$80 3.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 14.8% $12

Getting Around

Yakima, WA

$28 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 43.2% $12

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 $1,044 in Yakima, WA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yakima, WA pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Yakima, WA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Yakima, WA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

06:07 6:07 AM

14 h ahead of Yakima, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,968

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Yakima, WA Phuket 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Yakima, WA
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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

Yakima, WA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Yakima, WA is about 7 times higher, 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: $1,044 in Yakima, WA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,720 in Yakima, WA 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 versus $64 in Yakima, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,253 in Yakima, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yakima, WA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Yakima, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.