Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlantic City, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,829 in Atlantic City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Atlantic City, NJ
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Atlantic City, NJ Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Atlantic City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,829

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,829 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Atlantic City, NJ $2,829
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,230 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Atlantic City, NJ $4,230
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,631 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Atlantic City, NJ $5,631
Phuket $3,154

Living in Atlantic City, NJ is roughly 121% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Atlantic City, NJ is 108% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$4.47 ฿151

338.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$32.41 ฿1,094

208.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 $11.53

$8.81 ฿297

30.87%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$2.83 ฿95.5

101.77%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$0.87 ฿29.43

171.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.49 ฿16.67

293.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.56 ฿86.4

136.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$3.68 ฿124

139.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.66 ฿56.0

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.46 ฿49.35

120.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.98 $6.98

$1.50 ฿50.6

365.33%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$2.09 ฿70.5

108.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 $10.86

$19.07 ฿644

-43.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$3.30 ฿111

409.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 $19.83

$10.91 ฿368

81.76%

Apples (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$2.93 ฿99.0

155.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.69 ฿57.1

121.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.25 ฿75.8

143.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.08 ฿70.1

190.38%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.51 ฿51.0

174.17%

Onion (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.38 ฿46.56

247.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.07 ฿35.99

143.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.52 ฿17.52

386.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 $14.26

$4.20 ฿142

239.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 $13.48

$18.79 ฿634

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.82 ฿61.5

45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.84 ฿95.9

14.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.45 ฿49.03

103.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 $89.4

$56.7 ฿1,913

57.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.02 ฿102

-3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.02 ฿34.36

110.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.81 $41.81

$3.69 ฿125

1033.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 ฿49.81

-38.10%

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

$19.7K $19.7K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-26.42%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-7.49%

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

$247 $247

$96.4 ฿3,254

156.72%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$11.26 ฿380

437.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$16.85 ฿569

270.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 $29.89

$67.2 ฿2,270

-55.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.5 $50.5

$10.73 ฿362

370.36%

Cinema Ticket

$16.66 $16.66

$7.50 ฿253

122.13%

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

$503 $503

$476 ฿16.1K

5.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,100 $7,100

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-36.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 $69.4

$62.4 ฿2,106

11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 $31.46

$28.41 ฿959

10.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$94.3 ฿3,184

26.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$85.8 ฿2,898

39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 $1,702

$716 ฿24.2K

137.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$491 ฿16.6K

167.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,358 $2,358

$1,927 ฿65.1K

22.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,431 ฿48.3K

51.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,318 $4,318

$4,175 ฿141.0K

3.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,357 $4,357

$3,045 ฿102.8K

43.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,073 $4,073

$502 ฿17.0K

710.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Atlantic City, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atlantic City, NJ

$1.3K 46.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.7% $824

Groceries & Markets

Atlantic City, NJ

$487 17.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 45.4% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlantic City, NJ

$370 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.4% $246

Eating Out

Atlantic City, NJ

$325 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.6% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Atlantic City, NJ

$153 5.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.4% $31

Getting Around

Atlantic City, NJ

$115 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 38.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Atlantic City, NJ

$63 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 30.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,702 in Atlantic City, NJ and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atlantic City, NJ pays about 8.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Atlantic City, NJ vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlantic City, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

06:00 6:00 AM

11 h ahead of Atlantic City, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,958

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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Atlantic City, NJ Phuket 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Atlantic City, NJ
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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

Atlantic City, NJ vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,829 in Atlantic City, NJ and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Atlantic City, NJ is about 8.1 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: $1,702 in Atlantic City, NJ versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Atlantic City, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $100 in Atlantic City, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,829 in Atlantic City, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Atlantic City, NJ. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Atlantic City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.