Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bismarck, ND and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,355 in Bismarck, ND versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Bismarck, ND $2,355
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,453 in Bismarck, ND versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Bismarck, ND $3,453
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,551 in Bismarck, ND versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Bismarck, ND $4,551
Phuket $3,115

Living in Bismarck, ND is roughly 82% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bismarck, ND is 74% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.75 $29.75

$4.39 ฿148

577.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 $69.5

$32.31 ฿1,090

115.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.29 $17.29

$8.70 ฿294

98.74%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$2.72 ฿91.9

126.47%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$0.93 ฿31.39

179.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.50 ฿16.85

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.53 ฿85.4

115.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.63 ฿122

91.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.74 ฿58.7

-42.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.45 ฿48.95

78.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.50 ฿50.7

42.00%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.17 ฿73.3

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$19.09 ฿644

-58.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$3.40 ฿115

281.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$10.90 ฿368

48.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.94 ฿99.2

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.69 ฿57.1

1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.19 ฿74.0

42.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.12 ฿71.7

107.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.46 ฿49.21

30.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.37 ฿46.15

92.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.08 ฿36.30

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.55 ฿18.41

409.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.63 $8.63

$4.43 ฿149

94.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.29 $20.29

$18.25 ฿616

11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.77 ฿59.8

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.88 ฿97.2

36.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.45 ฿48.84

5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.49 $35.49

$54.9 ฿1,852

-35.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.49 ฿50.2

-38.26%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

0.97%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

-14.40%

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

$207 $207

$97.8 ฿3,300

111.86%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$11.29 ฿381

554.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.7 $83.7

$17.19 ฿580

387.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 $33.94

$68.3 ฿2,305

-50.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 $12.06

$7.43 ฿251

62.31%

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

$809 $809

$530 ฿17.9K

52.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,125 $9,125

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-51.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 $66.3

$61.7 ฿2,081

7.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$96.0 ฿3,239

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 $79.6

$86.8 ฿2,929

-8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 $1,010

$721 ฿24.3K

40.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 $995

$509 ฿17.2K

95.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 $1,526

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-21.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,397 ฿47.1K

16.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,440 $2,440

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-41.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-40.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,378 $4,378

$492 ฿16.6K

790.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

5.57

22.80%

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

Last update for Bismarck, ND: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bismarck, ND

$995 42.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 48.8% $486

Eating Out

Bismarck, ND

$423 17.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 71.7% $303

Groceries & Markets

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 26.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 65.4% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 13.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bismarck, ND

$58 2.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 43.3% $25

Getting Around

Bismarck, ND

$42 * 1.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 58.8% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,010 in Bismarck, ND and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays about 8.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Bismarck, ND vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

13 h ahead of Bismarck, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,333

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bismarck, ND Phuket 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bismarck, ND
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

Bismarck, ND vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,355 in Bismarck, ND and $1,294 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bismarck, ND is about 8.9 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: $1,010 in Bismarck, ND versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Bismarck, ND. 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 $70 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bismarck, ND. 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, Bismarck, ND and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bismarck, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.