Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jacksonville, FL, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Jacksonville, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,487
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,487 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $2,487
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,787 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $3,787
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,087 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $5,087
  • Phuket $3,154

Jacksonville, FL costs about 95% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jacksonville, FL sits 83% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.69 $19.69
$4.47 ฿151
340.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$102 $102
$32.41 ฿1,093
214.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 $11.37
$8.81 ฿297
29.06%
Cappuccino
$5.58 $5.58
$2.83 ฿95.4
97.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$0.87 ฿29.40
257.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$0.49 ฿16.65
344.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.98 $4.98
$2.56 ฿86.3
94.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 $7.19
$3.68 ฿124
95.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$1.66 ฿55.9
-39.76%
White Bread (500g)
$3.35 $3.35
$1.46 ฿49.29
129.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.73 $3.73
$1.50 ฿50.5
148.67%
Eggs
$4.40 $4.40
$2.09 ฿70.5
110.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.72 $13.72
$19.07 ฿643
-28.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.57 $9.57
$3.30 ฿111
190.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.24 $16.24
$10.91 ฿368
48.85%
Apples (1kg)
$4.82 $4.82
$2.93 ฿98.8
64.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.69 ฿57.0
-15.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.97 $3.97
$2.25 ฿75.7
76.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.08 ฿70.0
117.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.51 ฿51.0
94.04%
Onion (1kg)
$3.06 $3.06
$1.38 ฿46.51
121.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.07 ฿35.95
149.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.52 ฿17.50
380.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.34 $9.34
$4.20 ฿142
122.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.63 $14.63
$18.79 ฿634
-22.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.82 ฿61.4
12.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 $3.21
$2.84 ฿95.8
13.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.45 ฿48.97
22.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.5 $64.5
$56.7 ฿1,911
13.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 $1.51
$3.02 ฿102
-50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.17 $1.17
$1.02 ฿34.32
14.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.75 $13.75
$3.69 ฿124
272.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.47 ฿49.75
-29.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K $31.3K
$26.8K ฿903.2K
16.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$26.7K ฿900.3K
-2.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$96.4 ฿3,250
126.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$64.4 $64.4
$11.26 ฿380
472.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.2 $68.2
$16.85 ฿568
304.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.02 $35.02
$67.2 ฿2,268
-47.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.49 $6.49
$10.73 ฿362
-39.52%
Cinema Ticket
$14.76 $14.76
$7.50 ฿253
96.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,318 $1,318
$476 ฿16.1K
176.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K $12.0K
$11.3K ฿379.9K
6.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.1 $64.1
$62.4 ฿2,103
2.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.85 $47.85
$28.41 ฿958
68.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 $112
$94.3 ฿3,180
18.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 $151
$85.8 ฿2,894
76.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,651 $1,651
$716 ฿24.1K
130.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,118 $1,118
$491 ฿16.6K
127.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,590 $2,590
$1,927 ฿65.0K
34.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,963 $1,963
$1,431 ฿48.3K
37.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,356 $2,356
$4,175 ฿140.8K
-43.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,066 $2,066
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-32.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jacksonville, FL
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,010 $4,010
$502 ฿16.9K
698.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
5.57
20.11%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, FL: 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
Jacksonville, FL
$1.1K
Phuket
$491 56.1% $627
Groceries & Markets
Jacksonville, FL
$386
Phuket
$266 31.1% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jacksonville, FL
$350
Phuket
$124 64.5% $226
Eating Out
Jacksonville, FL
$319
Phuket
$122 61.9% $197
Clothing & Footwear
Jacksonville, FL
$169
Phuket
$122 27.8% $47
Getting Around
Jacksonville, FL
$79
Phuket
$71 10.6% $8.4
Sport & Entertainment
Jacksonville, FL
$65
Phuket
$82 27.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL 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 Jacksonville, FL are about 8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL 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
🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
10:56 10:56 AM
22:56 10:56 PM
12 h ahead of Jacksonville, FL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
949,611
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jacksonville, FL Phuket 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jacksonville, FL
  • 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
Jacksonville, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Jacksonville, FL or Phuket?
Jacksonville, FL costs about 95% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Jacksonville, FL and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,730 per month in Jacksonville, FL and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Jacksonville, FL or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL.
How do dining costs compare in Jacksonville, FL and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Jacksonville, FL compared to Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Jacksonville, FL or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Jacksonville, FL at $2,487. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jacksonville, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Jacksonville, FL or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jacksonville, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Jacksonville, FL vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?