Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $35,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brooklyn, NY, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Brooklyn, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,230
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,230 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brooklyn, NY $4,230
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $6,364 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brooklyn, NY $6,364
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $8,497 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brooklyn, NY $8,497
  • Phuket $3,115

Brooklyn, NY costs about 227% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brooklyn, NY sits 213% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.37 $20.37
$4.39 ฿148
364.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 $107
$32.31 ฿1,086
230.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.86 $11.86
$8.70 ฿293
36.32%
Cappuccino
$5.49 $5.49
$2.72 ฿91.6
101.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 $2.64
$0.93 ฿31.28
183.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$0.50 ฿16.79
354.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.82 $7.82
$2.53 ฿85.1
209.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.90 $8.90
$3.63 ฿122
145.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.74 ฿58.5
-4.02%
White Bread (500g)
$4.58 $4.58
$1.45 ฿48.77
215.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.02 $7.02
$1.50 ฿50.5
368.00%
Eggs
$6.59 $6.59
$2.17 ฿73.0
203.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.57 $16.57
$19.09 ฿642
-13.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.01 $17.01
$3.40 ฿114
400.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.96 $19.96
$10.90 ฿366
83.12%
Apples (1kg)
$7.93 $7.93
$2.94 ฿98.9
169.73%
Banana (1kg)
$3.68 $3.68
$1.69 ฿56.9
117.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.23 $5.23
$2.19 ฿73.8
138.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.04 $6.04
$2.12 ฿71.4
184.91%
Potato (1kg)
$4.02 $4.02
$1.46 ฿49.03
175.34%
Onion (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$1.37 ฿45.99
249.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.64 $2.64
$1.08 ฿36.17
144.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 $2.43
$0.55 ฿18.34
341.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.04 $15.04
$4.43 ฿149
239.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.33 $21.33
$18.25 ฿614
16.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.77 ฿59.6
54.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.88 ฿96.8
13.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.94 $2.94
$1.45 ฿48.66
102.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$183 $183
$54.9 ฿1,845
233.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.51 ฿50.9
96.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 $2.14
$0.78 ฿26.08
174.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.63 $42.63
$3.84 ฿129
1010.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.49 ฿50.0
-23.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K $31.2K
$26.9K ฿903.7K
16.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$26.3K ฿885.7K
-1.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$97.8 ฿3,288
124.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$60.5 $60.5
$11.29 ฿380
435.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.3 $61.3
$17.19 ฿578
256.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$123 $123
$68.3 ฿2,297
79.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.28 $35.28
$10.92 ฿367
223.08%
Cinema Ticket
$20.06 $20.06
$7.43 ฿250
169.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,022 $3,022
$530 ฿17.8K
469.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$52.2K $52.2K
$18.8K ฿631.4K
177.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.0 $70.0
$61.7 ฿2,073
13.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$76.8 $76.8
$28.25 ฿950
171.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 $122
$96.0 ฿3,228
26.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 $118
$86.8 ฿2,919
36.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,827 $3,827
$721 ฿24.2K
430.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,454 $2,454
$509 ฿17.1K
382.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$7,537 $7,537
$1,950 ฿65.6K
286.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,441 $4,441
$1,397 ฿47.0K
217.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.4K $12.4K
$4,192 ฿140.9K
195.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,713 $7,713
$3,298 ฿110.9K
133.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brooklyn, NY
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,614 $3,614
$492 ฿16.5K
635.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.78
5.57
21.72%

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

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: 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
Brooklyn, NY
$2.5K
Phuket
$509 79.3% $1.9K
Groceries & Markets
Brooklyn, NY
$549
Phuket
$267 51.4% $282
Eating Out
Brooklyn, NY
$341
Phuket
$120 64.9% $221
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brooklyn, NY
$341
Phuket
$126 63% $215
Getting Around
Brooklyn, NY
$208
Phuket
$66 68.3% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Brooklyn, NY
$174
Phuket
$123 29.6% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Brooklyn, NY
$163
Phuket
$83 48.9% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY 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 Brooklyn, NY are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $549 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
11:02 11:02 AM
23:02 11:02 PM
12 h ahead of Brooklyn, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,736,074
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brooklyn, NY Phuket 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • 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
Brooklyn, NY vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Brooklyn, NY and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Brooklyn, NY compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,346 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Brooklyn, NY and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Brooklyn, NY or Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 69% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,230. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Brooklyn, NY and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Brooklyn, NY and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brooklyn, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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