Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, NY and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,082 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kingston, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,082

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,082 in Kingston, NY versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kingston, NY $3,082
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,513 in Kingston, NY versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kingston, NY $4,513
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,943 in Kingston, NY versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kingston, NY $5,943
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kingston, NY is roughly 141% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston, NY is 126% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.17 $25.17

$4.47 ฿151

463.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

142.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.81 ฿297

68.67%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$2.83 ฿95.4

118.02%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$0.87 ฿29.42

206.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.49 ฿16.66

381.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$2.56 ฿86.3

216.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$3.68 ฿124

142.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.46 ฿49.32

223.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$1.50 ฿50.5

339.33%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.09 ฿70.5

114.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.84 $15.84

$19.07 ฿643

-16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 $10.65

$3.30 ฿111

222.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$10.91 ฿368

57.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.93 ฿98.9

63.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.69 ฿57.0

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

110.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.08 ฿70.1

224.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.51 ฿51.0

149.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.38 ฿46.54

145.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.07 ฿35.97

137.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.52 ฿17.51

257.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.96 $16.96

$4.20 ฿142

303.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$18.79 ฿634

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.82 ฿61.5

6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.84 ฿95.9

22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.45 ฿49.00

44.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

7.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.02 ฿102

5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.02 ฿34.34

78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.48 $26.48

$3.69 ฿125

617.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.47 ฿49.78

-38.78%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

17.47%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-4.53%

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

$210 $210

$96.4 ฿3,252

118.35%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$11.26 ฿380

496.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.0 $79.0

$16.85 ฿569

368.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 $43.10

$67.2 ฿2,269

-35.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.9 $58.9

$10.73 ฿362

449.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$7.50 ฿253

99.33%

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

$2,452 $2,452

$476 ฿16.1K

415.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

106.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.02 $49.02

$62.4 ฿2,105

-21.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 $29.80

$28.41 ฿959

4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 $81.9

$94.3 ฿3,182

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 $77.3

$85.8 ฿2,896

-9.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 $1,861

$716 ฿24.2K

159.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 $1,630

$491 ฿16.6K

232.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,292 $3,292

$1,927 ฿65.0K

70.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 $2,715

$1,431 ฿48.3K

89.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 $3,221

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-22.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,238 $3,238

$3,045 ฿102.8K

6.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,109 $3,109

$502 ฿17.0K

518.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Kingston, 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

Kingston, NY

$1.6K 52.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 69.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Kingston, NY

$435 14.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38.9% $169

Eating Out

Kingston, NY

$399 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 69.5% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston, NY

$357 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.1% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston, NY

$107 3.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.8% $15

Getting Around

Kingston, NY

$82 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 13.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston, NY

$73 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 12.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,861 in Kingston, NY and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston, NY pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Kingston, NY vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingston, NY

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

18:37 6:37 PM

12 h ahead of Kingston, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,436

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 →

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Kingston, NY Phuket 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston, NY
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

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

Phuket is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kingston, NY is about 6.2 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: $1,861 in Kingston, NY versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,082 per month in Kingston, NY versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 7% less than in Kingston, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,082 in Kingston, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kingston, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Kingston, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.