Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Knoxville, TN $2,576
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,786 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Knoxville, TN $3,786
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,997 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Knoxville, TN $4,997
Phuket $2,845

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 113% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Knoxville, TN is 90% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 $17.71

$4.40 ฿147

302.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

131.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$8.76 ฿293

12.56%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$2.83 ฿94.5

90.11%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$0.90 ฿30.14

214.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$0.47 ฿15.56

485.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 $6.36

$2.55 ฿85.2

149.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 $6.60

$3.83 ฿128

72.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.73 ฿57.7

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.47 ฿49.11

136.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.51 ฿50.6

201.99%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$2.17 ฿72.7

105.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$19.70 ฿658

-48.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$3.34 ฿112

176.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$11.16 ฿373

33.60%

Apples (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$2.85 ฿95.1

147.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.19 ฿73.3

31.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.05 ฿68.4

172.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.45 ฿48.57

48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.38 ฿46.16

215.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.07 ฿35.69

108.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.51 ฿16.91

329.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.26 ฿142

111.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$18.58 ฿621

-18.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.78 ฿59.7

7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.85 ฿95.2

10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.26 ฿75.6

-54.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.58 $29.58

$22.10 ฿738

33.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.01 ฿101

69.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.06 ฿35.34

42.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.87 $29.87

$3.86 ฿129

673.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.45

-30.34%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.83%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

1.26%

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

$223 $223

$96.4 ฿3,221

131.69%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$11.04 ฿369

573.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$17.14 ฿573

209.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$52.2 ฿1,744

-43.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.90 $21.90

$11.16 ฿373

96.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$7.81 ฿261

94.62%

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

$1,246 $1,246

$556 ฿18.6K

124.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

111.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

-20.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.53 $45.53

$28.69 ฿959

58.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$95.4 ฿3,187

17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$88.0 ฿2,940

39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$737 ฿24.6K

145.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$462 ฿15.5K

177.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,901 $2,901

$2,095 ฿70.0K

38.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 $2,144

$1,201 ฿40.1K

78.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,681 $4,681

$3,488 ฿116.6K

34.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 $2,243

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-11.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 $3,622

$501 ฿16.7K

623.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64% $822

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$383 14.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$351 13.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.5% $226

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$303 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 60% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.4% $8

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$46 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 14.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,811 in Knoxville, TN and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 623% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Knoxville, TN vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

11 h ahead of Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Knoxville, TN Phuket 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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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

Knoxville, TN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 113% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 623% higher in Knoxville, TN, 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: $1,811 in Knoxville, TN versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $75.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Knoxville, TN and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.