Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashland, MA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,666 in Ashland, MA, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, MA
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Ashland, MA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ashland, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,666

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,666 per month in Ashland, MA vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashland, MA $3,666
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $4,760 per month in Ashland, MA vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashland, MA $4,760
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $5,853 per month in Ashland, MA vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashland, MA $5,853
Phuket $3,115

Ashland, MA costs about 183% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ashland, MA sits 171% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 $19.95

$4.39 ฿148

354.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$32.31 ฿1,089

129.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 $12.89

$8.70 ฿293

48.16%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.72 ฿91.8

87.13%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$0.93 ฿31.35

208.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.50 ฿16.83

408.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.53 ฿85.3

132.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 $8.26

$3.63 ฿122

127.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.74 ฿58.6

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.45 ฿48.89

214.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.38 $16.38

$1.50 ฿50.6

992.00%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.17 ฿73.2

180.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$19.09 ฿643

-6.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 $10.54

$3.40 ฿115

210.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 $19.44

$10.90 ฿367

78.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.94 ฿99.1

84.69%

Banana (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.69 ฿57.0

159.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.19 ฿73.9

48.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.12 ฿71.6

41.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.46 ฿49.15

54.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.37 ฿46.10

80.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.08 ฿36.26

154.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.55 ฿18.38

434.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.39 $13.39

$4.43 ฿149

202.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.01 $17.01

$18.25 ฿615

-6.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.77 ฿59.7

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.88 ฿97.1

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.51 ฿51.0

141.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.78 ฿26.14

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.19 $48.19

$3.84 ฿129

1154.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.49 ฿50.1

-36.24%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

3.06%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

-1.08%

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

$197 $197

$97.8 ฿3,296

101.65%

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

$36.92 $36.92

$11.29 ฿381

227.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$17.19 ฿579

254.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 $74.9

$68.3 ฿2,303

9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.60 $45.60

$10.92 ฿368

317.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$7.43 ฿250

69.58%

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

$2,164 $2,164

$530 ฿17.9K

308.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K $35.1K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

86.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.44 $38.44

$61.7 ฿2,078

-37.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.21 $16.21

$28.25 ฿952

-42.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$96.0 ฿3,235

4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 $99.1

$86.8 ฿2,926

14.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,082 $2,082

$721 ฿24.3K

188.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 $2,317

$509 ฿17.1K

355.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 $2,812

$1,950 ฿65.7K

44.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,843 $2,843

$1,397 ฿47.1K

103.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,942 $4,942

$4,192 ฿141.3K

17.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,270 $4,270

$3,298 ฿111.2K

29.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,146 $8,146

$492 ฿16.6K

1557.04%

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 Ashland, MA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashland, MA

$2.3K 63.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 78% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Ashland, MA

$498 13.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 46.4% $231

Eating Out

Ashland, MA

$327 8.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 63.4% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashland, MA

$295 8.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 57.2% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Ashland, MA

$114 3.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 7.3% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ashland, MA

$100 2.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 16.9% $17

Getting Around

Ashland, MA

$15 * 0.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 350% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,082 in Ashland, MA versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ashland, MA are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Ashland, MA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $498 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashland, MA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

22:33 10:33 PM

12 h ahead of Ashland, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,684

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashland, MA Phuket 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashland, MA
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

Ashland, MA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashland, MA costs about 183% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,499 per month in Ashland, MA and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $2,082 in Ashland, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,666 in Ashland, MA and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,164 per month in Ashland, MA and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Ashland, MA at $3,666. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashland, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ashland, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.