Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,871 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Cary, NC versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cary, NC $2,871
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,202 in Cary, NC versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cary, NC $4,202
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,532 in Cary, NC versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cary, NC $5,532
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 125% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cary, NC is 111% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$4.47 ฿151

342.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$32.41 ฿1,094

211.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 $10.32

$8.81 ฿297

17.14%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.83 ฿95.5

79.86%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$0.87 ฿29.43

142.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.49 ฿16.67

291.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.56 ฿86.4

71.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 $6.34

$3.68 ฿124

72.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.46 ฿49.35

278.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$1.50 ฿50.6

293.33%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.09 ฿70.5

102.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.17 $18.17

$19.07 ฿644

-4.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$3.30 ฿111

421.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$10.91 ฿368

62.33%

Apples (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.93 ฿99.0

104.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.69 ฿57.1

10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.25 ฿75.8

60.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$2.08 ฿70.1

221.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.51 ฿51.0

110.60%

Onion (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.38 ฿46.56

215.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.07 ฿35.99

164.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.52 ฿17.52

355.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$4.20 ฿142

135.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 $10.22

$18.79 ฿634

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.82 ฿61.5

25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.84 ฿95.9

39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.45 ฿49.03

75.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 $80.9

$56.7 ฿1,913

42.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.47 ฿49.81

-40.82%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

9.51%

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

$184 $184

$96.4 ฿3,254

90.77%

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

$48.24 $48.24

$11.26 ฿380

328.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$16.85 ฿569

303.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 $77.0

$67.2 ฿2,270

14.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 $22.39

$10.73 ฿362

108.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.50 ฿253

100.80%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$476 ฿16.1K

208.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$62.4 ฿2,106

3.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.17 $32.17

$28.41 ฿959

13.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$94.3 ฿3,184

26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$85.8 ฿2,898

57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 $1,937

$716 ฿24.2K

170.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 $1,427

$491 ฿16.6K

190.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$1,927 ฿65.1K

36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,431 ฿48.3K

51.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 $2,869

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-31.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-13.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,077 $6,077

$502 ฿17.0K

1109.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

5.57

15.26%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 65.6% $936

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 16.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 45.2% $220

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$301 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.6% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$300 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 58.5% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$158 5.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$107 3.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 23.2% $25

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$91 * 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 22.5% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,937 in Cary, NC and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cary, NC vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

05:05 5:05 AM

11 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cary, NC Phuket 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, 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

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

Phuket is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cary, NC is about 12 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,937 in Cary, NC versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Cary, NC versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,871 in Cary, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.