Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jackson, MS and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,025 in Jackson, MS, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Jackson, MS
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Jackson, MS Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Jackson, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,025

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,025 per month in Jackson, MS vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Jackson, MS $2,025
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,848 per month in Jackson, MS vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Jackson, MS $2,848
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,672 per month in Jackson, MS vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Jackson, MS $3,672
Phuket $3,154

Jackson, MS costs about 58% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jackson, MS sits 49% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 $17.53

$4.47 ฿151

292.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 $60.3

$32.41 ฿1,093

85.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 $9.55

$8.81 ฿297

8.40%

Cappuccino

$4.31 $4.31

$2.83 ฿95.4

52.30%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$0.87 ฿29.40

88.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.49 ฿16.65

230.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.56 ฿86.3

58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.68 ฿124

11.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.66 ฿55.9

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.46 ฿49.29

108.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.50 ฿50.5

166.00%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.09 ฿70.5

80.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 $8.46

$19.07 ฿643

-55.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$3.30 ฿111

237.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$10.91 ฿368

-36.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.93 ฿98.8

94.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.69 ฿57.0

-34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.25 ฿75.7

-35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.08 ฿70.0

137.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.51 ฿51.0

104.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.38 ฿46.51

45.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.07 ฿35.95

41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 ฿17.50

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 $8.32

$4.20 ฿142

98.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$18.79 ฿634

-31.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.82 ฿61.4

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.84 ฿95.8

-44.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.45 ฿48.97

2.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.81 $42.81

$56.7 ฿1,911

-24.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.02 ฿102

-31.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.02 ฿34.32

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 $18.85

$3.69 ฿124

410.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.75

-33.33%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

0.98%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-1.44%

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

$185 $185

$96.4 ฿3,250

91.51%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$11.26 ฿380

387.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$16.85 ฿568

333.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 $48.45

$67.2 ฿2,268

-27.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 $16.20

$10.73 ฿362

50.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$7.50 ฿253

72.80%

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

$606 $606

$476 ฿16.1K

27.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

117.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.61 $47.61

$62.4 ฿2,103

-23.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.65 $22.65

$28.41 ฿958

-20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$94.3 ฿3,180

-11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$85.8 ฿2,894

33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$716 ฿24.1K

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 $875

$491 ฿16.6K

78.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 $2,049

$1,927 ฿65.0K

6.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 $1,189

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-16.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,373 $1,373

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-67.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,121 $1,121

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-63.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,840 $2,840

$502 ฿16.9K

465.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

5.57

10.95%

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

Last update for Jackson, MS: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jackson, MS

$875 43.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 43.9% $384

Groceries & Markets

Jackson, MS

$322 15.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jackson, MS

$312 15.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 60.2% $188

Eating Out

Jackson, MS

$262 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Jackson, MS

$121 6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Jackson, MS

$74 3.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Jackson, MS

$58 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 22.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,005 in Jackson, MS 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 Jackson, MS are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Jackson, MS versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jackson, MS

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

01:25 1:25 AM

13 h ahead of Jackson, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,701

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jackson, MS Phuket 15,460 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Jackson, MS
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

Jackson, MS vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jackson, MS costs about 58% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,037 per month in Jackson, MS 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 $1,005 in Jackson, MS.

Kindergarten costs $606 per month in Jackson, MS and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Jackson, MS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Jackson, MS at $2,025. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jackson, MS 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, Jackson, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.