Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,122 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,122 in Edison, NJ versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Edison, NJ $3,122
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,397 in Edison, NJ versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Edison, NJ $4,397
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,671 in Edison, NJ versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Edison, NJ $5,671
Phuket $3,154

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 144% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Edison, NJ is 129% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$4.47 ฿151

308.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$32.41 ฿1,094

84.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$8.81 ฿297

4.09%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$2.83 ฿95.5

44.17%

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

$1.03 $1.03

$0.87 ฿29.43

18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.49 ฿16.67

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.56 ฿86.4

34.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.68 ฿124

85.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.46 ฿49.35

120.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$1.50 ฿50.6

309.33%

Eggs

$2.54 $2.54

$2.09 ฿70.5

21.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 $13.49

$19.07 ฿644

-29.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$3.30 ฿111

213.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$10.91 ฿368

80.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.93 ฿99.0

102.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.69 ฿57.1

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.25 ฿75.8

92.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.08 ฿70.1

159.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.51 ฿51.0

99.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.38 ฿46.56

125.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.07 ฿35.99

189.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.52 ฿17.52

276.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.20 ฿142

139.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$18.79 ฿634

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.84 ฿95.9

24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.84 $5.84

$1.45 ฿49.03

302.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$199 $199

$56.7 ฿1,913

250.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.02 ฿102

0.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.02 ฿34.36

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.35 $42.35

$3.69 ฿125

1047.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.47 ฿49.81

-38.78%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

2.56%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.24%

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

$170 $170

$96.4 ฿3,254

76.82%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$11.26 ฿380

356.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 $50.6

$16.85 ฿569

200.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.98 $21.98

$67.2 ฿2,270

-67.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.50 ฿253

99.73%

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

$2,006 $2,006

$476 ฿16.1K

321.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

40.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$62.4 ฿2,106

-18.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.2 $80.2

$28.41 ฿959

182.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 $61.1

$94.3 ฿3,184

-35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 $88.5

$85.8 ฿2,898

3.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 $2,171

$716 ฿24.2K

203.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 $1,772

$491 ฿16.6K

260.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,927 ฿65.1K

62.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,722 $2,722

$1,431 ฿48.3K

90.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,960 $6,960

$502 ฿17.0K

1285.69%

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 Edison, NJ: 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

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 72.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.3% $148

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.4% $140

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 69.3% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.5% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 58.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,171 in Edison, NJ and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Edison, NJ vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

11 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

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 →

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Edison, NJ Phuket 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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

Edison, NJ vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,122 in Edison, NJ and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Edison, NJ is about 14 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: $2,171 in Edison, NJ versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 71% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,006 in Edison, NJ versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. 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 59% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.