Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
Kata and Karon beaches seen from Karon Viewpoint in Phuket

Florida (Miami) vs. Thailand (Phuket)

Beach nightlife at home or Thailand's Andaman coast?

Beach🗓 7 nights👥 2 adults✈ Round trip from Los Angeles📅 Checked October 2026

Flying from

Photos: Miami: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phuket: Bennypc, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits

Heads up: every price on this page is a sample estimate, not live pricing or a quote. Ranges are based on published typical fares and rates plus our own assumptions (see sources below). Switch the departure airport above to recalculate. Use the buttons to check today's real prices.

. Flight fares and all totals are estimates, not live pricing.

Miami

≈ $4,550

$3,286–$5,804

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $300 of each other.

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX)

Sample estimate, not live pricing

Phuket

≈ $4,860

$3,495–$6,222

Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
US trip

Florida (Miami)

USA · MIA

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,286–$5,804

Midpoint ≈ $4,550 · ≈ $2,270 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $278–$417 per person$556–$834
Lodging7 nights × $200–$350 per night$1,400–$2,450
Food & drink7 days × $120–$200 per day$840–$1,400
Local transport7 days × $30–$60 per day$210–$420
Activities7 days × $40–$100 per day$280–$700
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,286–$5,804
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 5 hr nonstop
Best time to go
March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November).
Entry
No passport needed for US citizens.
Watch for
Resort/destination fees and pricey hotel parking in Miami Beach; automatic service charges on many restaurant bills.
Best for
Nightlife, Art Deco, short flight

Book flights, tours & more for Miami ↓ (affiliate links)

Kata and Karon beaches seen from Karon Viewpoint in Phuket
Abroad

Thailand (Phuket)

Thailand · HKT

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,495–$6,222

Midpoint ≈ $4,860 · ≈ $2,430 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $715–$1,221 per person$1,430–$2,442
Lodging7 nights × $120–$220 per night$840–$1,540
Food & drink7 days × $80–$140 per day$560–$980
Local transport7 days × $25–$50 per day$175–$350
Activities7 days × $70–$130 per day$490–$910
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,495–$6,222
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 20–23 hr with 1–2 stops
Best time to go
November–April (dry season, calm Andaman Sea). May–October is monsoon season with rougher seas and lower prices.
Entry
Passport required; US citizens can usually enter visa-free for short stays. Check Thailand's current digital arrival card rules.
Watch for
Island-hopping boat tours (Phi Phi, Phang Nga Bay) and national-park fees; taxis are pricey on Phuket, so use Grab/Bolt.
Best for
Island hopping, warm water, Thai food

Book flights, tours & more for Phuket ↓ (affiliate links)

All-in totals by departure city

7 nights for 2 adults, round-trip flights from each city included. Midpoint of our estimate range, with the full range below it. Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Flying fromMiamiPhuketResult
Los Angeles (LAX)≈ $4,550$3,286–$5,804≈ $4,860$3,495–$6,222Roughly even (within ~$300)
Las Vegas (LAS)≈ $4,490$3,190–$5,790≈ $5,210$3,865–$6,560Miami ~$700 cheaper
Phoenix (PHX)≈ $4,730$3,408–$6,054≈ $5,370$4,033–$6,702Miami ~$650 cheaper
Denver (DEN)≈ $4,420$3,028–$5,818≈ $5,510$4,255–$6,764Miami ~$1,100 cheaper
Dallas (DFW)≈ $4,220$2,936–$5,508≈ $5,360$4,011–$6,700Miami ~$1,150 cheaper
Seattle (SEA)≈ $4,770$3,416–$6,114≈ $5,190$3,875–$6,496Miami ~$400 cheaper
Chicago (CHI)≈ $4,310$3,094–$5,534≈ $5,360$4,023–$6,698Miami ~$1,050 cheaper
New York (NYC)≈ $4,450$3,122–$5,778≈ $5,290$3,741–$6,830Miami ~$850 cheaper

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Flights search from Los Angeles (LAX) for a 7-night trip; switch the departure city above to update. Prices on partner sites are live and may differ from our estimates.

Florida (Miami)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqets

Thailand (Phuket)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqetsTravel insuranceEKTAeSIM dataAiraloAirport transferWelcome Pickups

Miami vs Phuket cost breakdown: where the money goes

Midpoint of each estimate range, 2 adults, 7 nights, flying from Los Angeles (LAX). Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles

Miami ≈ $700
Phuket ≈ $1,940

Lodging

Miami ≈ $1,930
Phuket ≈ $1,190

Food & drink

Miami ≈ $1,120
Phuket ≈ $770

Local transport

Miami ≈ $320
Phuket ≈ $260

Activities

Miami ≈ $490
Phuket ≈ $700

The verdict: is Phuket cheaper than Miami?

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $300 of each other. (from Los Angeles, sample estimate, not live pricing)

From most departure cities we cover, Miami is usually the cheaper week, by about $400–$1,150, because flights to Phuket are long and expensive. From LAX it's a wash: Asia fares are cheaper from LA and Miami fares are higher, so the totals land almost exactly even. Miami wins on a short nonstop and nightlife; Phuket on limestone islands, warm water and cheap massages.

Miami vs Phuket: common questions

Answers use flights from Los Angeles unless a city is named; see the table above for every departure city.

Is Phuket cheaper than Miami?

It's close. Flying from Los Angeles, the two land within about $300 of each other for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,860 for Phuket vs ≈ $4,550 for Miami, flights included). Miami is cheaper from Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and New York, by $400–$1,150. It's roughly even from Los Angeles. These are midpoints of our sample estimates, not live prices.

Is Phuket cheaper than Miami from Dallas?

No. Flying from Dallas, Miami comes out about $1,150 cheaper for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,220 vs ≈ $5,360 all-in, flights included).

How much does a week in Phuket cost for two?

About $3,495–$6,222 all-in (midpoint ≈ $4,860, ≈ $2,430 per person) for 7 nights for 2 adults with round-trip flights from Los Angeles: flights $1,430–$2,442, lodging $840–$1,540, food & drink $560–$980, local transport $175–$350, activities $490–$910. The same week in Miami runs about $3,286–$5,804.

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Phuket?

About 20–23 hr with 1–2 stops. For comparison, Miami: About 5 hr nonstop.

When is the best time to visit Miami or Phuket?

Miami: March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November). Phuket: November–April (dry season, calm Andaman Sea). May–October is monsoon season with rougher seas and lower prices.

Sources, notes & assumptions

Flight ranges come from typical round-trip economy fares that fare-search sites (KAYAK, Google Flights, Priceline, momondo, Expedia, airline fare pages) published for each route from each departure airport we cover (currently LAS and LAX), viewed October 2026. Lodging uses published hotel averages where we found them (Engine's August 2026 US city averages; Budget Your Trip traveler averages abroad), adjusted to a mid-range room; otherwise it is an editor estimate. Daily food, local transport and activity budgets are editor estimates for a mid-range couple; where a Budget Your Trip average exists we set the range around it, but the range bounds are our own judgment and have NOT been verified against a single published source. Ski lift tickets use published 2025/26 (or 2026/27) resort prices; euro and yen prices are converted at editor-assumed exchange rates. Taxes, resort fees, baggage fees and tips may not be fully included. Flight ranges marked "Travelpayouts (Aviasales) Data API" in the sources are refreshed automatically from cached round-trip economy fares that Aviasales users found recently for departures about 1–4 months out (low = cheapest fare found, high = roughly the 75th percentile); routes without enough fresh data keep their previous published-fare range.

Florida (Miami)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Lodging assumes a mid-range Miami Beach / Brickell hotel outside peak events (Art Basel, spring break).

Thailand (Phuket)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Lodging and daily ranges are editor-set around Budget Your Trip mid-range averages (room ~$122/night for 2, food ~$41, sightseeing ~$46 per person/day).

Assumptions: economy fares, 1 mid-range room, 7 nights / 7 days of spending, 2 adults. Excludes passports, travel insurance, checked-bag fees and souvenirs unless noted. Found a better number? Tell us.

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