Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester, NH and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,963 in Manchester, NH, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Manchester, NH, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Manchester, NH
🇺🇸 United States
$2,963
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,963 in Manchester, NH versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Manchester, NH $2,963
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,232 in Manchester, NH versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Manchester, NH $4,232
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,501 in Manchester, NH versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Manchester, NH $5,501
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Manchester, NH is roughly 132% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manchester, NH is 118% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.64 $26.64
$4.47 ฿151
495.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 $79.0
$32.41 ฿1,094
143.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.06 $11.06
$8.81 ฿297
25.54%
Cappuccino
$5.51 $5.51
$2.83 ฿95.5
94.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 $2.39
$0.87 ฿29.43
174.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$0.49 ฿16.67
316.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.96 $5.96
$2.56 ฿86.4
132.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 $7.10
$3.68 ฿124
92.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.66 ฿56.0
-38.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.90 $2.90
$1.46 ฿49.35
98.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$1.50 ฿50.6
216.00%
Eggs
$4.54 $4.54
$2.09 ฿70.5
117.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 $9.89
$19.07 ฿644
-48.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.71 $10.71
$3.30 ฿111
224.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.53 $19.53
$10.91 ฿368
79.01%
Apples (1kg)
$5.82 $5.82
$2.93 ฿99.0
98.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.69 ฿57.1
37.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$2.25 ฿75.8
100.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.07 $6.07
$2.08 ฿70.1
191.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.51 ฿51.0
62.25%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 $3.21
$1.38 ฿46.56
132.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.07 ฿35.99
100.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$0.52 ฿17.52
353.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.66 $9.66
$4.20 ฿142
130.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.75 $14.75
$18.79 ฿634
-21.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.82 ฿61.5
6.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 $5.07
$2.84 ฿95.9
78.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.45 ฿49.03
35.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.0 $61.0
$56.7 ฿1,913
7.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 $3.12
$3.02 ฿102
3.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 $1.68
$1.02 ฿34.36
64.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.19 $30.19
$3.69 ฿125
718.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.47 ฿49.81
-36.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K $33.5K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
25.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-4.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 $230
$96.4 ฿3,254
138.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.3 $62.3
$11.26 ฿380
453.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.8 $69.8
$16.85 ฿569
314.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.74 $39.74
$67.2 ฿2,270
-40.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.23 $39.23
$10.73 ฿362
265.61%
Cinema Ticket
$11.35 $11.35
$7.50 ฿253
51.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,194 $1,194
$476 ฿16.1K
150.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.0K $23.0K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
104.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.75 $44.75
$62.4 ฿2,106
-28.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.66 $45.66
$28.41 ฿959
60.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 $90.4
$94.3 ฿3,184
-4.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 $110
$85.8 ฿2,898
28.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,803 $1,803
$716 ฿24.2K
151.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,543 $1,543
$491 ฿16.6K
214.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,878 $2,878
$1,927 ฿65.1K
49.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,348 $2,348
$1,431 ฿48.3K
64.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,181 $3,181
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-23.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,940 $2,940
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-3.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manchester, NH
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,254 $4,254
$502 ฿17.0K
746.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.21
5.57
11.49%

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

Last update for Manchester, NH: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Manchester, NH
$1.5K
Phuket
$491 68.2% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Manchester, NH
$410
Phuket
$266 35% $143
Eating Out
Manchester, NH
$374
Phuket
$122 67.5% $252
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manchester, NH
$362
Phuket
$124 65.6% $238
Clothing & Footwear
Manchester, NH
$131
Phuket
$122 6.8% $8.9
Getting Around
Manchester, NH
$80
Phuket
$71 12.2% $9.8
Sport & Entertainment
Manchester, NH
$62
Phuket
$82 31.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,803 in Manchester, NH and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester, NH pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Manchester, NH vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Manchester, NH
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
18:19 6:19 PM
05:19 5:19 AM
11 h ahead of Manchester, NH
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
109,497
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Manchester, NH Phuket 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Manchester, NH
  • 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
Manchester, NH vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Manchester, NH?
Phuket is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Manchester, NH or Phuket?
Average pay in Manchester, NH is about 8.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Manchester, NH and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,803 in Manchester, NH versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,194 in Manchester, NH versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Manchester, NH and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Manchester, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Manchester, NH or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,963 in Manchester, NH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Manchester, NH. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Manchester, NH or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is safer, Manchester, NH or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Manchester, NH and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Manchester, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Manchester, NH vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?