Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth, NJ
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Elizabeth, NJ Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Elizabeth, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,186

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,186
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,453 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,453
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,720 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,720
Phuket $2,845

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 164% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elizabeth, NJ is 135% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$4.40 ฿147

347.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

149.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$8.76 ฿293

35.73%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$2.83 ฿94.5

92.58%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$0.90 ฿30.14

170.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 ฿15.56

217.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.55 ฿85.2

205.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$3.83 ฿128

86.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.73 ฿57.7

-26.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.47 ฿49.11

206.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.51 ฿50.6

294.70%

Eggs

$6.52 $6.52

$2.17 ฿72.7

200.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$19.70 ฿658

-22.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$3.34 ฿112

254.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$11.16 ฿373

76.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.85 ฿95.1

108.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.70 ฿56.9

108.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.19 ฿73.3

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.05 ฿68.4

164.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.45 ฿48.57

106.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.38 ฿46.16

113.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.07 ฿35.69

180.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.51 ฿16.91

394.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.62 $14.62

$4.26 ฿142

243.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$18.58 ฿621

-17.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.78 ฿59.7

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.85 ฿95.2

19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.26 ฿75.6

27.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 $76.0

$22.10 ฿738

243.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.01 ฿101

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.06 ฿35.34

99.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 $42.39

$3.86 ฿129

998.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.83%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.13%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-2.40%

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

$247 $247

$96.4 ฿3,221

156.66%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$11.04 ฿369

361.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 $50.1

$17.14 ฿573

192.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.78 $24.78

$52.2 ฿1,744

-52.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$20.03 $20.03

$7.81 ฿261

156.47%

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

$2,012 $2,012

$556 ฿18.6K

261.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

39.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.63 $49.63

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.6 $77.6

$28.69 ฿959

170.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$95.4 ฿3,187

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$88.0 ฿2,940

38.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$737 ฿24.6K

195.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$462 ฿15.5K

271.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 $2,668

$2,095 ฿70.0K

27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,201 ฿40.1K

107.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,297 $1,297

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-62.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 $1,143

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-54.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,997 $3,997

$501 ฿16.7K

698.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Elizabeth, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabeth, NJ

$1.7K 53.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 73.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$475 14.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 43.4% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$348 10.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.3% $224

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$328 10.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 63% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$152 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18% $27

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$101 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 60.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$65 2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 4.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays 698% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

11 h ahead of Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Elizabeth, NJ Phuket 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth, NJ
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

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

Elizabeth, NJ and Phuket differ by about 164% in total monthly costs ($3,186 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 698% higher in Elizabeth, NJ, 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: $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,012 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Elizabeth, 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.

Safety-wise, Elizabeth, NJ and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.