Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingsport, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,973 in Kingsport, TN, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingsport, TN, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Kingsport, TN
🇺🇸 United States
$1,973
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,973 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingsport, TN $1,973
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingsport, TN $3,211
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,448 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Kingsport, TN $4,448
  • Phuket $3,154

Kingsport, TN costs about 54% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kingsport, TN sits 45% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.69 $17.69
$4.47 ฿151
295.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.9 $55.9
$32.41 ฿1,094
72.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.18 $11.18
$8.81 ฿297
26.90%
Cappuccino
$5.03 $5.03
$2.83 ฿95.5
77.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 $2.26
$0.87 ฿29.43
159.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 $1.89
$0.49 ฿16.67
285.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.38 $4.38
$2.56 ฿86.4
71.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 $7.20
$3.68 ฿124
95.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.66 ฿56.0
-46.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 $2.65
$1.46 ฿49.35
81.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.50 ฿50.6
50.67%
Eggs
$3.41 $3.41
$2.09 ฿70.5
63.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.86 $13.86
$19.07 ฿644
-27.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 $8.54
$3.30 ฿111
158.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 $17.03
$10.91 ฿368
56.10%
Apples (1kg)
$5.53 $5.53
$2.93 ฿99.0
88.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.20 $1.20
$1.69 ฿57.1
-28.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.75 $3.75
$2.25 ฿75.8
66.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 $4.68
$2.08 ฿70.1
125.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 $2.33
$1.51 ฿51.0
54.30%
Onion (1kg)
$3.09 $3.09
$1.38 ฿46.56
123.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.07 ฿35.99
97.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 $2.10
$0.52 ฿17.52
303.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.10 $8.10
$4.20 ฿142
92.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.87 $9.87
$18.79 ฿634
-47.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.82 ฿61.5
-4.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.72 $4.72
$2.84 ฿95.9
66.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.02 ฿102
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 $0.61
$1.02 ฿34.36
-40.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.69 ฿125
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 $0.87
$1.47 ฿49.81
-40.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.5K $36.5K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
36.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-3.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 $122
$96.4 ฿3,254
26.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.80 $49.80
$11.26 ฿380
342.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.1 $65.1
$16.85 ฿569
286.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.65 $41.65
$67.2 ฿2,270
-38.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.30 $12.30
$7.50 ฿253
64.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 $568
$476 ฿16.1K
19.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.12 $44.12
$62.4 ฿2,106
-29.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 $34.51
$28.41 ฿959
21.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.1 $91.1
$94.3 ฿3,184
-3.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 $111
$85.8 ฿2,898
28.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,093 $1,093
$716 ฿24.2K
52.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$902 $902
$491 ฿16.6K
83.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,427 $2,427
$1,927 ฿65.1K
25.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,064 $2,064
$1,431 ฿48.3K
44.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,887 $1,887
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-54.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,890 $1,890
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-37.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingsport, TN
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,740 $3,740
$502 ฿17.0K
644.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
5.57
21.90%

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

Last update for Kingsport, TN: 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
Kingsport, TN
$902
Phuket
$491 45.5% $411
Groceries & Markets
Kingsport, TN
$351
Phuket
$266 24.2% $85
Eating Out
Kingsport, TN
$288
Phuket
$122 57.8% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingsport, TN
$237
Phuket
$124 47.4% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Kingsport, TN
$126
Phuket
$122 3.3% $4.2
Sport & Entertainment
Kingsport, TN
$66
Phuket
$82 24.1% $16
Getting Around
Kingsport, TN
$3 *
Phuket
$71 2229% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,093 in Kingsport, TN 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 Kingsport, TN are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Kingsport, TN versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Kingsport, TN
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
12:01 12:01 PM
23:01 11:01 PM
11 h ahead of Kingsport, TN
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
53,014
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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kingsport, TN Phuket 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingsport, TN
  • 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
Kingsport, TN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kingsport, TN and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,973 in Kingsport, TN, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Kingsport, TN compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,960 per month in Kingsport, TN and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kingsport, TN and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,093 in Kingsport, TN.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Kingsport, TN and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Kingsport, TN, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kingsport, TN at $1,973. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingsport, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Kingsport, TN or Phuket?
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.
Is Kingsport, TN or Phuket safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Kingsport, TN and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingsport, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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