Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Island, NE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,648 in Grand Island, NE, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Grand Island, NE
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Grand Island, NE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Grand Island, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,648

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,648 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $2,648
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,864 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $3,864
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,079 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $5,079
Phuket $3,154

Grand Island, NE costs about 107% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grand Island, NE sits 95% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.03 $19.03

$4.47 ฿151

325.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

133.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$8.81 ฿297

23.04%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$2.83 ฿95.5

82.69%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$0.87 ฿29.43

195.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.49 ฿16.67

297.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.56 ฿86.4

136.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.68 ฿124

92.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.46 ฿49.35

144.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.50 ฿50.6

182.67%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.09 ฿70.5

95.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$19.07 ฿644

-35.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$3.30 ฿111

244.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$10.91 ฿368

39.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.93 ฿99.0

64.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.25 ฿75.8

90.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.08 ฿70.1

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.51 ฿51.0

92.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.38 ฿46.56

101.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.07 ฿35.99

86.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.52 ฿17.52

315.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.20 ฿142

124.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$18.79 ฿634

-24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.84 ฿95.9

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.45 ฿49.03

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 $53.9

$56.7 ฿1,913

-4.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.02 ฿102

13.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.02 ฿34.36

62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 $29.32

$3.69 ฿125

694.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.47 ฿49.81

-39.46%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

11.06%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.77%

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

$184 $184

$96.4 ฿3,254

90.93%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$11.26 ฿380

368.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.8 $66.8

$16.85 ฿569

296.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.25 $43.25

$67.2 ฿2,270

-35.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$7.50 ฿253

78.27%

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

$1,290 $1,290

$476 ฿16.1K

171.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

111.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 $50.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

-19.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 $39.99

$28.41 ฿959

40.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 $86.7

$94.3 ฿3,184

-8.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$85.8 ฿2,898

30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$716 ฿24.2K

123.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 $1,376

$491 ฿16.6K

180.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,667 $2,667

$1,927 ฿65.1K

38.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,431 ฿48.3K

57.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-33.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 $2,469

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-18.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Grand Island, NE: 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

Grand Island, NE

$1.4K 52%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 64.3% $885

Groceries & Markets

Grand Island, NE

$385 14.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.9% $119

Eating Out

Grand Island, NE

$309 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Island, NE

$304 11.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 59% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Island, NE

$130 4.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Grand Island, NE

$74 2.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 4.3% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Island, NE

$70 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 17.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Grand Island, NE 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Grand Island, NE versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Island, NE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

06:14 6:14 AM

12 h ahead of Grand Island, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,632

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

Grand Island, NE Phuket 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Island, NE
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

Grand Island, NE vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grand Island, NE is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,973 per month in Grand Island, NE 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 $1,600 in Grand Island, NE.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Grand Island, NE. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,290 per month in Grand Island, NE 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 Grand Island, NE at $2,648. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grand Island, NE 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.