Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hickory, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,078 in Hickory, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,078 in Hickory, NC versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Hickory, NC $2,078
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,962 in Hickory, NC versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Hickory, NC $2,962
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,847 in Hickory, NC versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Hickory, NC $3,847
Phuket $3,154

Living in Hickory, NC is roughly 63% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hickory, NC is 53% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 $15.01

$4.47 ฿151

235.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 $61.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

90.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$8.81 ฿297

25.20%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$2.83 ฿95.4

76.68%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$0.87 ฿29.42

156.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.49 ฿16.66

220.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.56 ฿86.3

113.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.68 ฿124

84.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.66 ฿56.0

-48.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.46 ฿49.32

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.50 ฿50.5

108.00%

Eggs

$3.43 $3.43

$2.09 ฿70.5

64.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$19.07 ฿643

-43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 $8.98

$3.30 ฿111

172.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 $17.00

$10.91 ฿368

55.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.93 ฿98.9

36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.69 ฿57.0

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.25 ฿75.8

4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.08 ฿70.1

-15.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

57.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.38 ฿46.54

135.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.07 ฿35.97

67.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.52 ฿17.51

305.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.00 $9.00

$4.20 ฿142

114.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$18.79 ฿634

-20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.84 ฿95.9

3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.45 ฿49.00

-15.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.59 $44.59

$56.7 ฿1,912

-21.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.02 ฿102

-34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.02 ฿34.34

122.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.72 $17.72

$3.69 ฿125

380.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.47 ฿49.78

-44.22%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

0.95%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-1.56%

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

$141 $141

$96.4 ฿3,252

45.95%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$11.26 ฿380

431.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 $54.1

$16.85 ฿569

221.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 $27.46

$67.2 ฿2,269

-59.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$7.50 ฿253

90.27%

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

$354 $354

$476 ฿16.1K

-25.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

124.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.75 $40.75

$62.4 ฿2,105

-34.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.24 $20.24

$28.41 ฿959

-28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.51 $39.51

$94.3 ฿3,182

-58.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.94 $49.94

$85.8 ฿2,896

-41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$716 ฿24.2K

81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 $1,030

$491 ฿16.6K

109.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-12.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$1,431 ฿48.3K

6.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 $2,141

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-48.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-28.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 $4,526

$502 ฿17.0K

801.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

5.57

-0.72%

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

Last update for Hickory, NC: 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

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 52.3% $539

Groceries & Markets

Hickory, NC

$338 16.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 21.2% $72

Eating Out

Hickory, NC

$269 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.8% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hickory, NC

$255 12.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 51.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 80% $54

Getting Around

Hickory, NC

$63 3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 12.4% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 46.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,299 in Hickory, NC and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Hickory, NC vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

11:46 11:46 AM

12 h ahead of Hickory, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,374

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 →

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Between locations

Hickory, NC Phuket 15,160 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Hickory, NC
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,078 in Hickory, NC and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Hickory, NC is about 9 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: $1,299 in Hickory, NC versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $62 in Hickory, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,078 per month in Hickory, NC versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hickory, NC. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Hickory, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.