Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Phuket $2,845

Burlington, NC costs about 116% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burlington, NC sits 92% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$4.40 ฿147

330.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$32.26 ฿1,078

131.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$8.76 ฿293

24.32%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$2.83 ฿94.5

84.81%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$0.90 ฿30.14

178.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.47 ฿15.56

338.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.55 ฿85.2

140.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.83 ฿128

77.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.47 ฿49.11

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.51 ฿50.6

188.08%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.17 ฿72.7

94.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$19.70 ฿658

-36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$3.34 ฿112

238.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$11.16 ฿373

40.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.85 ฿95.1

76.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.19 ฿73.3

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.05 ฿68.4

134.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.45 ฿48.57

100.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.38 ฿46.16

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 ฿35.69

97.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.51 ฿16.91

307.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.26 ฿142

119.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$18.58 ฿621

-24.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.78 ฿59.7

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.85 ฿95.2

16.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.26 ฿75.6

-10.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.01 ฿101

12.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.06 ฿35.34

55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$3.86 ฿129

651.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.45 ฿48.45

-38.62%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

13.45%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.54%

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

$191 $191

$96.4 ฿3,221

97.77%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$11.04 ฿369

378.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$17.14 ฿573

290.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$52.2 ฿1,744

-18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$7.81 ฿261

70.81%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$556 ฿18.6K

130.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

104.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

-20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$28.69 ฿959

39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$95.4 ฿3,187

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$88.0 ฿2,940

27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$737 ฿24.6K

121.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$462 ฿15.5K

198.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$2,095 ฿70.0K

26.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,201 ฿40.1K

86.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-21.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-4.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: 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

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 66.4% $916

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 30.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 59.9% $186

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.8% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.2% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 99.6% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

11 h ahead of Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Burlington, NC Phuket 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

Burlington, NC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 116% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 116%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,604 in Burlington, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.