Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangor, ME and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,256 in Bangor, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Bangor, ME
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Bangor, ME Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangor, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,256

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,256 per month in Bangor, ME vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Bangor, ME $2,256
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,339 per month in Bangor, ME vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Bangor, ME $3,339
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,423 per month in Bangor, ME vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Bangor, ME $4,423
Phuket $3,154

Bangor, ME costs about 77% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bangor, ME sits 66% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.90 $15.90

$4.47 ฿151

255.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 $68.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

111.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$8.81 ฿297

38.71%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$2.83 ฿95.4

97.17%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$0.87 ฿29.42

224.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.49 ฿16.66

404.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.56 ฿86.3

93.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$3.68 ฿124

100.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.66 ฿56.0

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.46 ฿49.32

229.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.50 ฿50.5

26.67%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$2.09 ฿70.5

93.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$19.07 ฿643

-28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.30 ฿111

170.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.11 $19.11

$10.91 ฿368

75.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.93 ฿98.9

63.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.69 ฿57.0

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.25 ฿75.8

159.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.08 ฿70.1

228.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.51 ฿51.0

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.38 ฿46.54

171.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.07 ฿35.97

59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.52 ฿17.51

217.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 $10.04

$4.20 ฿142

139.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$18.79 ฿634

-21.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.82 ฿61.5

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.84 ฿95.9

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.45 ฿49.00

35.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.84 $29.84

$56.7 ฿1,912

-47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.02 ฿102

1.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.02 ฿34.34

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 $10.96

$3.69 ฿125

197.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.47 ฿49.78

-37.41%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-11.64%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-3.08%

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

$229 $229

$96.4 ฿3,252

137.86%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$11.26 ฿380

359.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$16.85 ฿569

370.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 $49.24

$67.2 ฿2,269

-26.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.73 ฿362

11.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.79 $10.79

$7.50 ฿253

43.87%

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

$1,507 $1,507

$476 ฿16.1K

216.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$62.4 ฿2,105

-15.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 $29.41

$28.41 ฿959

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 $76.9

$94.3 ฿3,182

-18.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 $66.0

$85.8 ฿2,896

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 $1,042

$716 ฿24.2K

45.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 $979

$491 ฿16.6K

99.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,866 $1,866

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-3.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 $1,665

$1,431 ฿48.3K

16.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,011 $2,011

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-51.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 $1,992

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-34.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,835 $4,835

$502 ฿17.0K

862.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Bangor, ME: 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

Bangor, ME

$979 43.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 49.8% $488

Groceries & Markets

Bangor, ME

$402 17.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangor, ME

$360 16%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.4% $236

Eating Out

Bangor, ME

$292 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Bangor, ME

$101 4.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bangor, ME

$71 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 16.1% $11

Getting Around

Bangor, ME

$51 2.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 37.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,042 in Bangor, ME versus $716 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 Bangor, ME are about 9.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Bangor, ME versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bangor, ME

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

12 h ahead of Bangor, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,753

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangor, ME Phuket 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangor, ME
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

Bangor, ME vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangor, ME costs about 77% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,384 per month in Bangor, ME and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,042 in Bangor, ME.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Bangor, ME and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,256 in Bangor, ME and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 43% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bangor, ME at $2,256. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bangor, ME 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, Bangor, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.