Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln, NE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,208 in Lincoln, NE, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln, NE
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Lincoln, NE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lincoln, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,208

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,208 in Lincoln, NE versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Lincoln, NE $2,208
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,239 in Lincoln, NE versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Lincoln, NE $3,239
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Lincoln, NE versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Lincoln, NE $4,270
Phuket $3,154

Living in Lincoln, NE is roughly 73% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lincoln, NE is 62% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$4.47 ฿151

353.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

144.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$8.81 ฿297

38.14%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$2.83 ฿95.4

100.00%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$0.87 ฿29.42

167.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.49 ฿16.66

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.56 ฿86.3

99.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 $9.17

$3.68 ฿124

149.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.66 ฿56.0

-45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.46 ฿49.32

120.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.50 ฿50.5

321.33%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.09 ฿70.5

114.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$19.07 ฿643

-40.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 $8.43

$3.30 ฿111

155.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.82 $14.82

$10.91 ฿368

35.84%

Apples (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$2.93 ฿98.9

138.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.69 ฿57.0

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.25 ฿75.8

162.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.08 ฿70.1

110.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.51 ฿51.0

123.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.38 ฿46.54

168.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.07 ฿35.97

74.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.52 ฿17.51

413.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$4.20 ฿142

118.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.30 $17.30

$18.79 ฿634

-7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.82 ฿61.5

2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.84 ฿95.9

-9.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.45 ฿49.00

-15.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.91 $16.91

$56.7 ฿1,912

-70.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.02 ฿102

67.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.02 ฿34.34

86.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.14 $35.14

$3.69 ฿125

852.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 ฿49.78

-32.65%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.89%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-4.26%

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

$144 $144

$96.4 ฿3,252

49.34%

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

$47.84 $47.84

$11.26 ฿380

324.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$16.85 ฿569

288.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 $41.55

$67.2 ฿2,269

-38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.15 $26.15

$10.73 ฿362

143.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.08 $15.08

$7.50 ฿253

101.07%

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

$834 $834

$476 ฿16.1K

75.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.84 $48.84

$62.4 ฿2,105

-21.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 $35.07

$28.41 ฿959

23.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$94.3 ฿3,182

-7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$85.8 ฿2,896

35.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 $956

$716 ฿24.2K

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 $982

$491 ฿16.6K

100.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,927 ฿65.0K

12.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,431 ฿48.3K

1.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,484 $2,484

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-40.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,767 $1,767

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-41.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,834 $3,834

$502 ฿17.0K

663.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

5.57

14.36%

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

Last update for Lincoln, NE: 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

Lincoln, NE

$982 44.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 50% $491

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln, NE

$404 18.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.2% $138

Eating Out

Lincoln, NE

$327 14.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.8% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln, NE

$257 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 51.6% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln, NE

$130 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.9% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln, NE

$72 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.7% $11

Getting Around

Lincoln, NE

$36 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 94.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Lincoln, NE and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln, NE pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Lincoln, NE vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lincoln, NE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

19:43 7:43 PM

13 h ahead of Lincoln, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,348

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Lincoln, NE Phuket 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln, NE
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

Lincoln, NE vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Lincoln, NE. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lincoln, NE is about 7.6 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: $956 in Lincoln, NE versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Lincoln, NE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,208 per month in Lincoln, NE versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,208 in Lincoln, NE, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lincoln, NE. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lincoln, NE and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Lincoln, NE on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.