Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Carteret, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Cape Carteret, NC
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Cape Carteret, NC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cape Carteret, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,709 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $2,709
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $3,716
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,722 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $4,722
Phuket $2,845

Cape Carteret, NC costs about 124% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Carteret, NC sits 100% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$4.40 ฿147

307.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

176.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$8.76 ฿293

38.70%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$2.83 ฿94.5

108.83%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$0.90 ฿30.14

208.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.47 ฿15.56

338.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.55 ฿85.2

136.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.83 ฿128

81.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.47 ฿49.11

117.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.51 ฿50.6

250.99%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

122.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$19.70 ฿658

-47.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 $10.04

$3.34 ฿112

200.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.65 $18.65

$11.16 ฿373

67.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.85 ฿95.1

-13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.70 ฿56.9

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.19 ฿73.3

125.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.05 ฿68.4

183.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.45 ฿48.57

54.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.38 ฿46.16

221.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 ฿35.69

66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.51 ฿16.91

356.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$4.26 ฿142

122.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 $12.12

$18.58 ฿621

-34.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.78 ฿59.7

3.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.26 ฿75.6

-19.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.01 ฿101

53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.06 ฿35.34

24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 $20.14

$3.86 ฿129

421.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.45 ฿48.45

-31.03%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.17%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-2.53%

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

$211 $211

$96.4 ฿3,221

119.29%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$11.04 ฿369

441.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$17.14 ฿573

292.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.20 $44.20

$52.2 ฿1,744

-15.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 $9.13

$7.81 ฿261

16.90%

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

$1,596 $1,596

$556 ฿18.6K

187.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

38.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

-4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.26 $47.26

$28.69 ฿959

64.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$95.4 ฿3,187

21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$88.0 ฿2,940

25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 $1,643

$737 ฿24.6K

122.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 $1,446

$462 ฿15.5K

212.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 $2,879

$2,095 ฿70.0K

37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,201 ฿40.1K

55.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,119 $3,119

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-10.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$2,523 ฿84.3K

3.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Cape Carteret, NC: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Carteret, NC

$1.4K 53.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 68% $983

Groceries & Markets

Cape Carteret, NC

$379 14%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Carteret, NC

$338 12.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 63.2% $214

Eating Out

Cape Carteret, NC

$314 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 61.4% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Carteret, NC

$151 5.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 17.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Carteret, NC

$62 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 8.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Cape Carteret, NC

$18 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 114% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,643 in Cape Carteret, 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 $89.0 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Carteret, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

11 h ahead of Cape Carteret, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Carteret, NC Phuket 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Carteret, 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

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

Yes – Cape Carteret, NC is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,064 per month in Cape Carteret, 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 $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 124%.

Kindergarten costs $1,596 per month in Cape Carteret, 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 Cape Carteret, NC at $2,709. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Carteret, NC 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 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, Cape Carteret, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.