Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnstable, MA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
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Barnstable, MA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,398

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Barnstable, MA $2,398
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Barnstable, MA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Barnstable, MA $3,546
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,695 in Barnstable, MA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Barnstable, MA $4,695
Phuket $2,845

Living in Barnstable, MA is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barnstable, MA is 77% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$4.40 ฿147

314.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

129.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$8.76 ฿293

15.07%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$2.83 ฿94.5

40.64%

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

$2.12 $2.12

$0.90 ฿30.14

135.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.47 ฿15.56

255.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.55 ฿85.2

101.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.83 ฿128

79.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.47 ฿49.11

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.51 ฿50.6

171.52%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.17 ฿72.7

89.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$19.70 ฿658

-67.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$3.34 ฿112

159.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$11.16 ฿373

-22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.85 ฿95.1

45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.70 ฿56.9

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.19 ฿73.3

104.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.05 ฿68.4

76.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 ฿48.57

52.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.38 ฿46.16

55.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.07 ฿35.69

80.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.51 ฿16.91

378.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.26 ฿142

185.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$18.58 ฿621

-31.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.78 ฿59.7

21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.85 ฿95.2

40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

-13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.68 $34.68

$22.10 ฿738

56.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.01 ฿101

12.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.06 ฿35.34

253.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.52 $25.52

$3.86 ฿129

561.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 ฿48.45

-28.97%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

3.80%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-9.57%

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

$101 $101

$96.4 ฿3,221

4.88%

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

$60.7 $60.7

$11.04 ฿369

449.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$17.14 ฿573

272.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 $41.77

$52.2 ฿1,744

-19.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 $24.38

$11.16 ฿373

118.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$7.81 ฿261

75.93%

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

$1,833 $1,833

$556 ฿18.6K

229.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K $29.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

156.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

-13.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 $37.94

$28.69 ฿959

32.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$95.4 ฿3,187

-16.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$88.0 ฿2,940

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$737 ฿24.6K

114.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$462 ฿15.5K

184.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$2,095 ฿70.0K

19.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,201 ฿40.1K

81.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,718 $2,718

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-22.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 $2,379

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,584 $4,584

$501 ฿16.7K

815.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Barnstable, MA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.8% $852

Groceries & Markets

Barnstable, MA

$322 13.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 16.6% $54

Eating Out

Barnstable, MA

$278 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 56.5% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnstable, MA

$226 9.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 44.8% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Barnstable, MA

$123 5.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barnstable, MA

$69 2.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.1% $1.5

Getting Around

Barnstable, MA

$65 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 39% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barnstable, MA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays 816% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Barnstable, MA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

11 h ahead of Barnstable, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Barnstable, MA Phuket 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Barnstable, MA and Phuket differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,398 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 816% higher in Barnstable, MA, 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: $1,579 in Barnstable, MA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 57% less than in Barnstable, MA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,833 in Barnstable, MA versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Barnstable, MA. 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.

Safety-wise, Barnstable, MA and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Barnstable, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.