Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
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Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,894

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,894
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,154 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,154
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,415 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,415
Phuket $3,154

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 205% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort Lee, NJ is 186% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$4.47 ฿151

460.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

150.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$8.81 ฿297

24.29%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.83 ฿95.4

89.05%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$0.87 ฿29.42

151.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.49 ฿16.66

210.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.56 ฿86.3

219.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.68 ฿124

117.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.66 ฿56.0

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.46 ฿49.32

163.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.50 ฿50.5

352.67%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.09 ฿70.5

121.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$19.07 ฿643

-34.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$3.30 ฿111

259.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$10.91 ฿368

60.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.93 ฿98.9

86.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.69 ฿57.0

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.25 ฿75.8

178.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.08 ฿70.1

160.58%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.51 ฿51.0

168.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.38 ฿46.54

184.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.07 ฿35.97

171.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.52 ฿17.51

425.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$4.20 ฿142

180.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$18.79 ฿634

-36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.82 ฿61.5

-6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.84 ฿95.9

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.45 ฿49.00

86.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 $135

$56.7 ฿1,912

137.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.02 ฿102

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.02 ฿34.34

105.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$3.69 ฿125

553.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.47 ฿49.78

-41.50%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

3.04%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-0.88%

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

$215 $215

$96.4 ฿3,252

123.52%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$11.26 ฿380

573.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$16.85 ฿569

280.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$67.2 ฿2,269

88.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$7.50 ฿253

94.00%

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

$2,027 $2,027

$476 ฿16.1K

325.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

111.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$62.4 ฿2,105

-32.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$28.41 ฿959

102.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 $77.6

$94.3 ฿3,182

-17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$85.8 ฿2,896

-1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,927 $2,927

$716 ฿24.2K

308.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 $2,299

$491 ฿16.6K

368.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 $6,548

$1,927 ฿65.0K

239.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$1,431 ฿48.3K

243.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,299 $4,299

$4,175 ฿140.9K

2.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,727 $3,727

$3,045 ฿102.8K

22.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,606 $6,606

$502 ฿17.0K

1215.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 59%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 78.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$438 11.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 39.2% $171

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$369 9.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 67% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$355 9.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65% $231

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 55.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 47.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$118 3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

09:51 9:51 AM

12 h ahead of Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Fort Lee, NJ Phuket 14,540 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, 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

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Fort Lee, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fort Lee, NJ is about 13 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: $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,894 per month in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 58% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fort Lee, 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, Fort Lee, NJ and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.