Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carmel, IN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,557 in Carmel, IN, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Carmel, IN
Learn more

Carmel, IN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Carmel, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,557

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,557 per month in Carmel, IN vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Carmel, IN $2,557
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,944 per month in Carmel, IN vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Carmel, IN $3,944
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $5,331 per month in Carmel, IN vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Carmel, IN $5,331
Phuket $3,115

Carmel, IN costs about 98% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carmel, IN sits 89% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$4.39 ฿147

351.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$32.31 ฿1,078

143.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 $9.22

$8.70 ฿290

5.98%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$2.72 ฿90.9

74.26%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$0.93 ฿31.06

194.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.50 ฿16.67

292.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.53 ฿84.5

133.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$3.63 ฿121

107.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.74 ฿58.1

-48.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.45 ฿48.42

123.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.50 ฿50.1

216.00%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$2.17 ฿72.5

95.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 $12.62

$19.09 ฿637

-33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$3.40 ฿113

230.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.90 ฿364

49.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.94 ฿98.2

84.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.69 ฿56.5

-13.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.19 ฿73.2

92.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.12 ฿70.9

98.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.46 ฿48.68

73.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.37 ฿45.66

115.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.08 ฿35.91

87.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.55 ฿18.21

363.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.39 $11.39

$4.43 ฿148

157.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$18.25 ฿609

-17.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.77 ฿59.2

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.88 ฿96.2

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.45 ฿48.32

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.51 ฿50.5

30.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.78 ฿25.90

61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.84 $24.84

$3.84 ฿128

546.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.49 ฿49.65

-34.23%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

12.38%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-0.06%

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

$230 $230

$97.8 ฿3,265

134.97%

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

$70.7 $70.7

$11.29 ฿377

526.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$17.19 ฿574

291.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 $69.6

$68.3 ฿2,281

1.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.88 $31.88

$10.92 ฿365

191.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$7.43 ฿248

100.40%

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

$1,740 $1,740

$530 ฿17.7K

228.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

32.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.86 $49.86

$61.7 ฿2,059

-19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.01 $45.01

$28.25 ฿943

59.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$96.0 ฿3,204

-8.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$86.8 ฿2,898

24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 $1,492

$721 ฿24.1K

106.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 $1,241

$509 ฿17.0K

143.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,631 $2,631

$1,950 ฿65.1K

34.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 $2,416

$1,397 ฿46.6K

72.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 $1,876

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-55.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,793 $1,793

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-45.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,277 $6,277

$492 ฿16.4K

1176.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.57

20.29%

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

Last update for Carmel, IN: 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

Carmel, IN

$1.2K 48.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59% $732

Groceries & Markets

Carmel, IN

$394 15.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 32.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carmel, IN

$368 14.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 65.7% $242

Eating Out

Carmel, IN

$306 12%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Carmel, IN

$131 5.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 6.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Carmel, IN

$99 3.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 16.3% $16

Getting Around

Carmel, IN

$18 * 0.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 266% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,492 in Carmel, IN 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 Carmel, IN are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Carmel, IN versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carmel, IN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

12 h ahead of Carmel, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,757

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carmel, IN Phuket 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Carmel, IN
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

Carmel, IN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,557 in Carmel, IN, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,836 per month in Carmel, IN and $1,940 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,492 in Carmel, IN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Carmel, IN and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Carmel, IN, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Carmel, IN at $2,557. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carmel, IN 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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