Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,077 in Kearney, NE, 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 Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,077

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kearney, NE $2,077
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,910 in Kearney, NE versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kearney, NE $2,910
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,744 in Kearney, NE versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kearney, NE $3,744
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kearney, NE 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: Kearney, NE is 53% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.11 $15.11

$4.47 ฿151

238.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

84.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$8.81 ฿297

32.35%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$2.83 ฿95.4

83.39%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$0.87 ฿29.42

154.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.49 ฿16.66

277.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.56 ฿86.3

59.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.68 ฿124

38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.66 ฿56.0

-50.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.46 ฿49.32

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.50 ฿50.5

142.67%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$2.09 ฿70.5

71.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$19.07 ฿643

-52.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$3.30 ฿111

95.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$10.91 ฿368

40.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.93 ฿98.9

92.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.69 ฿57.0

21.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.25 ฿75.8

118.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.08 ฿70.1

101.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.51 ฿51.0

19.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.38 ฿46.54

113.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ฿35.97

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.52 ฿17.51

461.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$4.20 ฿142

117.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$18.79 ฿634

-19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.84 ฿95.9

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.02 ฿102

-2.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.02 ฿34.34

30.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$3.69 ฿125

575.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 ฿49.78

-31.97%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-8.96%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

0.91%

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

$277 $277

$96.4 ฿3,252

187.86%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$11.26 ฿380

471.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$16.85 ฿569

335.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 $54.7

$67.2 ฿2,269

-18.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.86 $5.86

$10.73 ฿362

-45.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 $12.48

$7.50 ฿253

66.40%

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

$1,033 $1,033

$476 ฿16.1K

117.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

72.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.51 $30.51

$62.4 ฿2,105

-51.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 $40.13

$28.41 ฿959

41.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 $94.5

$94.3 ฿3,182

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$85.8 ฿2,896

40.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$716 ฿24.2K

45.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$491 ฿16.6K

71.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 $1,487

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-22.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 $1,196

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-16.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,631 $1,631

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-60.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,621 $1,621

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-46.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,624 $7,624

$502 ฿17.0K

1418.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kearney, NE

$843 40.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 41.7% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$415 20%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 70% $291

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$337 16.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20.9% $70

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$265 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$80 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.6 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 635% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,038 in Kearney, NE and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Kearney, NE vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

13 h ahead of Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kearney, NE Phuket 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,077 in Kearney, NE and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kearney, NE is about 15 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: $1,038 in Kearney, NE versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Kearney, NE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,077 per month in Kearney, NE versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,077 in Kearney, NE, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kearney, NE. 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.

Safety-wise, Kearney, NE and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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