Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MS and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
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Laurel, MS Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Laurel, MS $2,677
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Laurel, MS $3,828
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,978 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Laurel, MS $4,978
Phuket $2,845

Laurel, MS costs about 122% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Laurel, MS sits 98% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 $17.65

$4.40 ฿147

301.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

86.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$8.76 ฿293

5.48%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$2.83 ฿94.5

106.71%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$0.90 ฿30.14

146.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.47 ฿15.56

408.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.55 ฿85.2

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.83 ฿128

57.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.73 ฿57.7

-40.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.47 ฿49.11

106.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.51 ฿50.6

214.57%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.17 ฿72.7

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$19.70 ฿658

-51.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 $10.90

$3.34 ฿112

226.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$11.16 ฿373

43.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.85 ฿95.1

38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.70 ฿56.9

-21.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$2.19 ฿73.3

263.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.05 ฿68.4

48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 ฿48.57

-22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.38 ฿46.16

280.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.07 ฿35.69

154.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.51 ฿16.91

435.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$4.26 ฿142

101.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$18.58 ฿621

-34.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.78 ฿59.7

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.85 ฿95.2

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.26 ฿75.6

-14.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.01 ฿101

1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.06 ฿35.34

46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.52 $29.52

$3.86 ฿129

664.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.45 ฿48.45

-38.62%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

2.61%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.41%

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

$289 $289

$96.4 ฿3,221

200.04%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$11.04 ฿369

592.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$17.14 ฿573

302.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 $42.27

$52.2 ฿1,744

-18.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 $16.23

$7.81 ฿261

107.81%

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

$1,346 $1,346

$556 ฿18.6K

142.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

58.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

-9.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$28.69 ฿959

35.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$95.4 ฿3,187

13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$88.0 ฿2,940

55.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$737 ฿24.6K

120.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$462 ฿15.5K

185.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 $2,465

$2,095 ฿70.0K

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 $2,163

$1,201 ฿40.1K

80.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,328 $2,328

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-33.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,534 $2,534

$2,523 ฿84.3K

0.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Laurel, MS: 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

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 49.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.9% $857

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MS

$435 16.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 71.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MS

$382 14.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.7% $114

Eating Out

Laurel, MS

$294 11%

Phuket

$121 10% 58.8% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MS

$154 5.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MS

$75 2.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 9.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Laurel, MS

$19 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 112% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in Laurel, MS versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

12 h ahead of Laurel, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MS Phuket 15,540 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MS
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

Laurel, MS vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,677 in Laurel, MS, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 122% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,016 per month in Laurel, MS and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Laurel, MS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Laurel, MS at $2,677. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,677 in Laurel, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Laurel, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.