Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewiston, ME and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,756 in Lewiston, ME, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ME
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Lewiston, ME Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lewiston, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,756

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,756 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $2,756
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $4,038 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $4,038
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $5,321 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $5,321
Phuket $2,867

Lewiston, ME costs about 128% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lewiston, ME sits 104% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.04 $18.04

$4.58 ฿153

293.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 $95.4

$32.48 ฿1,086

193.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 $13.76

$8.55 ฿286

60.94%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$2.72 ฿91.0

101.84%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$0.94 ฿31.25

215.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.49 ฿16.39

457.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.59 ฿86.6

98.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.83 ฿128

104.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.74 ฿58.1

-40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.43 ฿47.82

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.53 ฿51.0

246.41%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.17 ฿72.7

116.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$19.15 ฿640

-42.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.29 $14.29

$3.30 ฿110

333.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$11.14 ฿372

56.91%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$2.95 ฿98.5

130.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.68 ฿56.1

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$2.30 ฿76.8

194.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.13 ฿71.3

162.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.53 ฿51.1

84.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.36 ฿45.55

219.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.12 ฿37.44

165.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.55 ฿18.24

307.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.74 $8.74

$4.26 ฿142

105.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 $13.66

$18.19 ฿608

-24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.74 ฿58.2

19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.79 ฿93.3

47.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.22 ฿74.1

-1.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.91 ฿97.3

1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.01 ฿33.79

47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.88 $30.88

$3.83 ฿128

706.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.49 ฿49.85

-27.52%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

39.12%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-0.53%

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

$319 $319

$99.4 ฿3,321

220.92%

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

$107 $107

$11.28 ฿377

847.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.7 $86.7

$17.36 ฿580

399.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 $39.44

$52.3 ฿1,747

-24.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.57 ฿253

98.41%

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

$1,852 $1,852

$558 ฿18.7K

231.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

160.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.21 $16.21

$62.9 ฿2,102

-74.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 $38.27

$28.58 ฿955

33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 $100.0

$88.1 ฿2,943

13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 $993

$729 ฿24.4K

36.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$460 ฿15.4K

179.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$2,096 ฿70.0K

19.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$1,222 ฿40.8K

74.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,346 $2,346

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-32.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,234 $2,234

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-10.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 Lewiston, ME: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lewiston, ME

$1.3K 46.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 64.2% $824

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewiston, ME

$512 18.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 75% $384

Groceries & Markets

Lewiston, ME

$449 16.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 40.4% $181

Eating Out

Lewiston, ME

$316 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 61.6% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Lewiston, ME

$106 3.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 17% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lewiston, ME

$69 2.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 3% $2

Getting Around

Lewiston, ME

$19 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 103% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Lewiston, ME versus $729 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 $95.0 in Lewiston, ME versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $449 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ME

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

04:29 4:29 AM

11 h ahead of Lewiston, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,226

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Lewiston, ME Phuket 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Lewiston, ME
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

Lewiston, ME vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lewiston, ME is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,133 per month in Lewiston, ME and $1,811 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 $95.0 in Lewiston, ME 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 68% more in Lewiston, ME, 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 $1,207, than in Lewiston, ME at $2,756. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewiston, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Lewiston, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.