Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
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Ellicott City, MD Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,488

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,488 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,488
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,646 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,646
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,804 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,804
Phuket $3,154

Ellicott City, MD costs about 173% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ellicott City, MD sits 156% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$4.47 ฿151

307.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

194.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$8.81 ฿297

23.38%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.83 ฿95.5

90.81%

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

$3.35 $3.35

$0.87 ฿29.43

285.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.49 ฿16.67

436.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$2.56 ฿86.4

172.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.68 ฿124

119.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.66 ฿56.0

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.46 ฿49.35

181.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.50 ฿50.6

154.00%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$2.09 ฿70.5

119.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$19.07 ฿644

-11.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$3.30 ฿111

293.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$10.91 ฿368

69.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.93 ฿99.0

110.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.25 ฿75.8

83.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.08 ฿70.1

96.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.51 ฿51.0

47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.38 ฿46.56

93.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 ฿35.99

119.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.52 ฿17.52

328.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$4.20 ฿142

221.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$18.79 ฿634

-18.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.82 ฿61.5

47.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.84 ฿95.9

10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.02 ฿102

-41.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.02 ฿34.36

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$3.69 ฿125

553.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.47 ฿49.81

-36.05%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-13.88%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-9.67%

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

$208 $208

$96.4 ฿3,254

116.18%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$11.26 ฿380

343.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$16.85 ฿569

374.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$67.2 ฿2,270

66.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 $14.57

$7.50 ฿253

94.27%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$476 ฿16.1K

303.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

209.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$62.4 ฿2,106

-15.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$28.41 ฿959

99.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$94.3 ฿3,184

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$85.8 ฿2,898

30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$716 ฿24.2K

248.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$491 ฿16.6K

329.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,056 $3,056

$1,927 ฿65.1K

58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,695 $2,695

$1,431 ฿48.3K

88.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-13.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,000 $5,000

$502 ฿17.0K

895.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: 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

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 76.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$433 12.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$338 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63.2% $214

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$318 9.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.7% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$142 4.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 41.7% $59

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 731% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD 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 Ellicott City, MD are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Ellicott City, MD versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

11 h ahead of Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

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

Ellicott City, MD Phuket 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, 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

Ellicott City, MD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 173%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,232 per month in Ellicott City, MD 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 $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,921 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $476 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 $1,278, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,488. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD 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, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.