Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,394 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,394

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,394 per month in College Park, MD vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

College Park, MD $3,394
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

College Park, MD $4,584
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $5,774 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

College Park, MD $5,774
Phuket $2,867

College Park, MD costs about 181% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

College Park, MD sits 151% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 $15.76

$4.58 ฿153

244.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$32.48 ฿1,086

117.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$8.55 ฿286

15.09%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$2.72 ฿91.0

65.81%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$0.94 ฿31.25

185.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.49 ฿16.39

265.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.59 ฿86.6

144.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.83 ฿128

57.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.74 ฿58.1

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.43 ฿47.82

74.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.53 ฿51.0

257.52%

Eggs

$1.98 $1.98

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$19.15 ฿640

-66.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$3.30 ฿110

95.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 $20.53

$11.14 ฿372

84.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.95 ฿98.5

128.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.68 ฿56.1

-24.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.30 ฿76.8

212.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.13 ฿71.3

161.50%

Potato (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$1.53 ฿51.1

230.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.36 ฿45.55

141.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.12 ฿37.44

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$0.55 ฿18.24

485.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.26 ฿142

117.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$18.19 ฿608

-35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.74 ฿58.2

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.79 ฿93.3

35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.22 ฿74.1

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.91 ฿97.3

41.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.01 ฿33.79

103.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.02 $25.02

$3.83 ฿128

553.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.49 ฿49.85

-36.91%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

37.01%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-6.95%

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

$244 $244

$99.4 ฿3,321

145.69%

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

$49.20 $49.20

$11.28 ฿377

336.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$17.36 ฿580

291.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.30 $39.30

$52.3 ฿1,747

-24.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$7.57 ฿253

97.62%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$558 ฿18.7K

262.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.60 $47.60

$62.9 ฿2,102

-24.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 $33.13

$28.58 ฿955

15.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$96.1 ฿3,213

23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$88.1 ฿2,943

55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 $2,293

$729 ฿24.4K

214.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$460 ฿15.4K

364.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,864 $3,864

$2,096 ฿70.0K

84.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 $3,065

$1,222 ฿40.8K

150.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,294 $6,294

$493 ฿16.5K

1176.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

5.57

11.85%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 78.5% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$378 11.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 29.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$361 10.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64.6% $233

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$271 8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 55.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$151 4.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18% $27

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$69 2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$26 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 48.3% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,293 in College Park, MD versus $729 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 run about 1177% higher in College Park, MD, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in College Park, MD versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

11 h ahead of College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

College Park, MD Phuket 14,780 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
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

College Park, MD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,394 in College Park, MD, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 181% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,091 per month in College Park, MD and $1,811 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 $3,394 in College Park, MD and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 181%.

Kindergarten costs $2,026 per month in College Park, MD and $558 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 $1,207, than in College Park, MD at $3,394. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD 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 $1,207 in Phuket to $3,394 in College Park, MD. 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, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.