Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ithaca, NY
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Ithaca, NY Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,893

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,893 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,893
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,843
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,792
Phuket $3,154

Ithaca, NY costs about 126% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ithaca, NY sits 113% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$4.47 ฿151

409.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$32.41 ฿1,092

144.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$8.81 ฿297

22.93%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.83 ฿95.3

79.86%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$0.87 ฿29.37

202.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.49 ฿16.64

316.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.56 ฿86.2

97.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 $9.39

$3.68 ฿124

155.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿55.9

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.46 ฿49.25

119.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.50 ฿50.4

372.67%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.09 ฿70.4

89.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$19.07 ฿642

-23.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$3.30 ฿111

96.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$10.91 ฿368

41.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.93 ฿98.7

65.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.69 ฿56.9

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.25 ฿75.7

142.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.08 ฿70.0

131.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.51 ฿50.9

108.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.38 ฿46.47

169.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.07 ฿35.91

114.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.52 ฿17.49

296.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$4.20 ฿142

249.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$18.79 ฿633

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.82 ฿61.4

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.84 ฿95.7

40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.45 ฿48.93

6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.49 $45.49

$56.7 ฿1,909

-19.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.02 ฿102

64.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.02 ฿34.29

39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$3.69 ฿124

698.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.47 ฿49.70

-27.89%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

1.40%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-0.32%

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

$167 $167

$96.4 ฿3,247

73.43%

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

$46.41 $46.41

$11.26 ฿380

312.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$16.85 ฿568

199.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 $34.65

$67.2 ฿2,266

-48.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 $10.82

$7.50 ฿253

44.27%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$476 ฿16.0K

218.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

50.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.25 $47.25

$62.4 ฿2,102

-24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$28.41 ฿957

37.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$94.3 ฿3,178

-13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$85.8 ฿2,892

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$716 ฿24.1K

215.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$491 ฿16.5K

238.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$1,927 ฿64.9K

57.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$1,431 ฿48.2K

39.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-35.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,035 $2,035

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-33.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$502 ฿16.9K

590.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 57.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 70.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$386 13.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31% $120

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$339 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$264 9.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$124 4.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$64 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 10.7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$56 2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 46.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Ithaca, NY 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 Ithaca, NY are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

11 h ahead of Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Ithaca, NY Phuket 14,400 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, NY
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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

Ithaca, NY vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,340 per month in Ithaca, NY 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 $2,256 in Ithaca, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,893 in Ithaca, NY and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 56% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Ithaca, NY at $2,893. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ithaca, NY 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ithaca, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.