Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison Heights, MI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,513 in Madison Heights, MI, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Madison Heights, MI
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Madison Heights, MI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Madison Heights, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,513

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,513 in Madison Heights, MI versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Madison Heights, MI $2,513
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,638 in Madison Heights, MI versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Madison Heights, MI $3,638
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Madison Heights, MI versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Madison Heights, MI $4,764
Phuket $3,115

Living in Madison Heights, MI is roughly 94% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madison Heights, MI is 86% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 $18.05

$4.39 ฿147

311.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 $63.3

$32.31 ฿1,080

95.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$8.70 ฿291

24.37%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$2.72 ฿91.1

102.94%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$0.93 ฿31.11

178.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.50 ฿16.70

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.53 ฿84.6

139.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.63 ฿121

125.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.74 ฿58.2

-51.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.45 ฿48.51

131.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.50 ฿50.2

190.00%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.17 ฿72.6

76.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$19.09 ฿638

-30.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$3.40 ฿114

238.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$10.90 ฿364

50.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.94 ฿98.3

74.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.69 ฿56.6

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.19 ฿73.4

85.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.12 ฿71.0

84.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.46 ฿48.77

67.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.37 ฿45.74

117.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.08 ฿35.98

108.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.55 ฿18.24

292.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.43 ฿148

125.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$18.25 ฿610

-18.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.77 ฿59.3

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.88 ฿96.3

19.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.45 ฿48.40

21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.9 $60.9

$54.9 ฿1,835

11.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.51 ฿50.6

76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.78 ฿25.94

84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.45 $24.45

$3.84 ฿128

536.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.49 ฿49.74

-28.19%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$26.9K ฿898.9K

27.69%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.3K ฿881.0K

-0.38%

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

$215 $215

$97.8 ฿3,271

119.59%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$11.29 ฿378

436.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$17.19 ฿575

305.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.48 $43.48

$68.3 ฿2,285

-36.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$7.43 ฿248

59.76%

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

$1,034 $1,034

$530 ฿17.7K

94.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$18.8K ฿628.1K

8.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$61.7 ฿2,062

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.19 $39.19

$28.25 ฿945

38.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 $95.9

$96.0 ฿3,210

-0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$86.8 ฿2,903

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$721 ฿24.1K

86.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$509 ฿17.0K

133.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$1,950 ฿65.2K

12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,397 ฿46.7K

38.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,802 $2,802

$4,192 ฿140.2K

-33.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,166 $2,166

$3,298 ฿110.3K

-34.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Madison Heights, MI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison Heights, MI

$1.2K 47.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 57.1% $677

Groceries & Markets

Madison Heights, MI

$389 15.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 31.4% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison Heights, MI

$345 13.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 63.4% $219

Eating Out

Madison Heights, MI

$308 12.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Madison Heights, MI

$140 5.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 12.2% $17

Getting Around

Madison Heights, MI

$78 3.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 15.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Madison Heights, MI

$67 2.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 23.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,348 in Madison Heights, MI and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Madison Heights, MI vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison Heights, MI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

12 h ahead of Madison Heights, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,042

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Madison Heights, MI Phuket 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison Heights, MI
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

Madison Heights, MI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Madison Heights, MI. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,769 in Madison Heights, MI and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,348 in Madison Heights, MI versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 10% less than in Madison Heights, MI. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,034 in Madison Heights, MI versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,513 in Madison Heights, MI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Madison Heights, MI. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Madison Heights, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.