Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dover, DE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,593 in Dover, DE, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Dover, DE
Learn more

Dover, DE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Dover, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,593

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,593 per month in Dover, DE vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Dover, DE $2,593
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Dover, DE vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Dover, DE $3,781
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,970 per month in Dover, DE vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Dover, DE $4,970
Phuket $3,154

Dover, DE costs about 103% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dover, DE sits 91% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 $13.16

$4.47 ฿151

194.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

84.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 $10.58

$8.81 ฿297

20.09%

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$2.83 ฿95.4

74.20%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$0.87 ฿29.41

165.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.49 ฿16.65

351.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.56 ฿86.3

93.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.68 ฿124

120.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.66 ฿55.9

-42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.46 ฿49.31

93.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.50 ฿50.5

77.33%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.09 ฿70.5

137.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$19.07 ฿643

-35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$3.30 ฿111

340.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 $18.90

$10.91 ฿368

73.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.93 ฿98.9

67.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.69 ฿57.0

-33.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.25 ฿75.8

175.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.08 ฿70.0

149.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.51 ฿51.0

105.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.38 ฿46.52

46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.07 ฿35.96

62.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.52 ฿17.51

382.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.59 $8.59

$4.20 ฿142

104.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$18.79 ฿634

-21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.82 ฿61.5

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.84 ฿95.8

75.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.76

-33.33%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

2.90%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-0.60%

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

$219 $219

$96.4 ฿3,251

127.00%

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

$49.94 $49.94

$11.26 ฿380

343.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$16.85 ฿568

322.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$67.2 ฿2,268

79.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 $17.07

$7.50 ฿253

127.60%

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

$687 $687

$476 ฿16.1K

44.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

91.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.92 $47.92

$62.4 ฿2,104

-23.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.92 $35.92

$28.41 ฿958

26.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$94.3 ฿3,181

16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 $201

$85.8 ฿2,895

133.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,692 $1,692

$716 ฿24.2K

136.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$491 ฿16.6K

154.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,927 ฿65.0K

22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 $2,110

$1,431 ฿48.3K

47.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 $2,146

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-48.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,180 $2,180

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-28.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,760 $5,760

$502 ฿16.9K

1046.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.57

20.65%

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

Last update for Dover, DE: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dover, DE

$1.3K 48.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.8% $760

Groceries & Markets

Dover, DE

$415 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dover, DE

$340 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63.4% $215

Eating Out

Dover, DE

$255 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Dover, DE

$177 6.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Dover, DE

$155 6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 46.8% $72

Getting Around

Dover, DE

- * 0%

Phuket

$71 5.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,692 in Dover, DE versus $716 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 Dover, DE are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Dover, DE versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dover, DE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

06:05 6:05 AM

11 h ahead of Dover, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,735

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dover, DE Phuket 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Dover, DE
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

Dover, DE vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dover, DE costs about 103% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,890 per month in Dover, DE and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,692 in Dover, DE.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Dover, DE and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Dover, DE, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Dover, DE at $2,593. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dover, DE 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.

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