Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Carolina is 20.4% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 2.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Carolina is 41.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.08 $17.08
$4.65 ฿149
267.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.8 $79.8
$46.11 ฿1,474
73.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 $9.74
$8.74 ฿279
11.44%
Cappuccino
$3.23 $3.23
$3.04 ฿97.1
6.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$0.72 ฿23.03
140.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 $1.44
$0.39 ฿12.50
269.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.97 $2.97
$2.44 ฿78.0
21.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 $4.02
$3.79 ฿121
6.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.43 $2.43
$2.14 ฿68.6
13.55%
White Bread (500g)
$3.44 $3.44
$1.86 ฿59.5
84.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.19 ฿69.9
-0.46%
Eggs
$6.02 $6.02
$2.25 ฿71.8
167.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 $8.68
$19.73 ฿631
-56.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.57 $8.57
$3.79 ฿121
126.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 $12.76
$13.55 ฿433
-5.83%
Apples (1kg)
$5.78 $5.78
$3.25 ฿104
77.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.67 ฿53.4
64.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$2.39 ฿76.5
62.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.99 $3.99
$2.09 ฿66.9
90.91%
Potato (1kg)
$3.90 $3.90
$1.53 ฿48.88
154.90%
Onion (1kg)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.51 ฿48.27
100.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.13 $3.13
$0.99 ฿31.62
216.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.51 ฿16.46
278.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.27 $11.27
$4.27 ฿137
163.93%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$20.31 ฿649
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.79 ฿57.3
36.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.77 ฿88.5
17.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 $0.73
$1.40 ฿44.89
-47.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿374
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 ฿99.4
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$0.99 ฿31.80
52.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.27 $15.27
$13.73 ฿439
11.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.32 ฿42.17
-17.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.4K $36.4K
$27.2K ฿870.7K
33.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-23.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$321 $321
$120 ฿3,849
166.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$78.3 $78.3
$13.93 ฿445
462.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.9 $70.9
$18.31 ฿585
287.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.33 $11.33
$60.9 ฿1,948
-81.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.23 ฿551
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.54 $11.54
$8.71 ฿278
32.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$467 $467
$698 ฿22.3K
-33.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K $10.6K
$15.7K ฿503.0K
-32.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.18 $45.18
$57.6 ฿1,843
-21.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.2 $56.2
$34.24 ฿1,095
64.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 $90.6
$113 ฿3,618
-19.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 $105
$84.8 ฿2,711
23.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 $446
$604 ฿19.3K
-26.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$436 ฿13.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,766 $1,766
$2,057 ฿65.8K
-14.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,498 ฿47.9K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,252 ฿135.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ฿95.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Carolina
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,764 $1,764
$529 ฿16.9K
233.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.71
5.33
7.13%

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

Last update for Carolina: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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