Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goldsboro, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,866 in Goldsboro, NC, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Goldsboro, NC
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Goldsboro, NC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Goldsboro, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$1,866

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,866 in Goldsboro, NC versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Goldsboro, NC $1,866
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,681 in Goldsboro, NC versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Goldsboro, NC $2,681
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,496 in Goldsboro, NC versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Goldsboro, NC $3,496
Phuket $2,845

Living in Goldsboro, NC is roughly 54% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Goldsboro, NC is 38% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 $14.75

$4.40 ฿147

235.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 $52.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

62.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 $9.59

$8.76 ฿293

9.47%

Cappuccino

$4.33 $4.33

$2.83 ฿94.5

53.00%

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

$2.08 $2.08

$0.90 ฿30.14

131.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.47 ฿15.56

240.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.55 ฿85.2

35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.83 ฿128

29.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.73 ฿57.7

-50.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.47 ฿49.11

139.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.51 ฿50.6

114.57%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.17 ฿72.7

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$19.70 ฿658

-34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 $8.92

$3.34 ฿112

167.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.84 $15.84

$11.16 ฿373

41.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.85 ฿95.1

37.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.70 ฿56.9

22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.19 ฿73.3

52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.05 ฿68.4

103.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.45 ฿48.57

61.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.38 ฿46.16

131.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.07 ฿35.69

75.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.51 ฿16.91

307.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.23 $7.23

$4.26 ฿142

69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 $13.98

$18.58 ฿621

-24.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.78 ฿59.7

-6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.85 ฿95.2

2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.01 ฿101

-35.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.06 ฿35.34

122.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 $18.30

$3.86 ฿129

374.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.45 ฿48.45

-50.34%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-3.38%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-13.61%

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

$120 $120

$96.4 ฿3,221

24.46%

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

$48.77 $48.77

$11.04 ฿369

341.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.78 $44.78

$17.14 ฿573

161.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 $45.64

$52.2 ฿1,744

-12.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$7.81 ฿261

56.59%

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

$772 $772

$556 ฿18.6K

38.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K $12.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$64.2 ฿2,146

-20.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.17 $37.17

$28.69 ฿959

29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 $70.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 $69.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 $1,229

$737 ฿24.6K

66.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 $868

$462 ฿15.5K

87.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 $1,702

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-18.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$1,201 ฿40.1K

5.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,758 $1,758

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,748 $1,748

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,448 $5,448

$501 ฿16.7K

988.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.57

13.46%

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

Last update for Goldsboro, NC: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Goldsboro, NC

$868 46.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 46.7% $405

Groceries & Markets

Goldsboro, NC

$358 19.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.9% $89

Eating Out

Goldsboro, NC

$241 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 49.6% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Goldsboro, NC

$213 11.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 41.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Goldsboro, NC

$103 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Goldsboro, NC

$70 3.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Goldsboro, NC

$14 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 186% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Goldsboro, NC and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Goldsboro, NC pays 988% 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: $52.0 in Goldsboro, NC vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Goldsboro, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

10:56 10:56 AM

11 h ahead of Goldsboro, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,203

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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Goldsboro, NC Phuket 15,190 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Goldsboro, NC
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

Goldsboro, NC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 988% higher in Goldsboro, NC, 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: $1,229 in Goldsboro, NC versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Goldsboro, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,866 per month in Goldsboro, NC versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,866 in Goldsboro, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Goldsboro, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Goldsboro, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Goldsboro, NC 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 54% less than in Goldsboro, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.