Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,087 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,087

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,087 per month in Medford, MA vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Medford, MA $3,087
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,233 per month in Medford, MA vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Medford, MA $4,233
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,378 per month in Medford, MA vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Medford, MA $5,378
Phuket $3,154

Medford, MA costs about 142% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medford, MA sits 127% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$4.47 ฿151

307.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$32.41 ฿1,094

195.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$8.81 ฿297

37.91%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$2.83 ฿95.5

94.35%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$0.87 ฿29.43

240.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.49 ฿16.67

414.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 $7.89

$2.56 ฿86.4

208.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.73 $8.73

$3.68 ฿124

137.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.66 ฿56.0

-34.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.46 ฿49.35

173.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.50 ฿50.6

256.67%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$2.09 ฿70.5

126.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$19.07 ฿644

-39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$3.30 ฿111

341.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$10.91 ฿368

63.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.93 ฿99.0

125.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.69 ฿57.1

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.25 ฿75.8

139.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.08 ฿70.1

166.35%

Potato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.51 ฿51.0

196.03%

Onion (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.38 ฿46.56

202.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.07 ฿35.99

181.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.52 ฿17.52

476.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 $13.10

$4.20 ฿142

211.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 $13.47

$18.79 ฿634

-28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.82 ฿61.5

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.84 ฿95.9

51.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.45 ฿49.03

64.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$56.7 ฿1,913

5.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.02 ฿102

-12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.02 ฿34.36

73.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 $28.34

$3.69 ฿125

668.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 ฿49.81

-27.21%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

3.88%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.89%

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

$246 $246

$96.4 ฿3,254

154.83%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$11.26 ฿380

387.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$16.85 ฿569

405.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$67.2 ฿2,270

-38.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 $14.19

$7.50 ฿253

89.20%

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

$1,839 $1,839

$476 ฿16.1K

286.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K $30.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

167.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$62.4 ฿2,106

-7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$28.41 ฿959

35.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$94.3 ฿3,184

-15.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 $99.8

$85.8 ฿2,898

16.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$716 ฿24.2K

123.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 $1,639

$491 ฿16.6K

233.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 $2,510

$1,927 ฿65.1K

30.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,431 ฿48.3K

51.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 $2,745

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-34.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,408 $2,408

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-20.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Medford, MA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medford, MA

$1.6K 53.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 70.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$461 14.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 42.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$386 12.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 67.7% $261

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$327 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.8% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$124 4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.6% $2

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$81 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 12.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$70 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 18% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Medford, MA versus $716 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 $96 in Medford, MA versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $461 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

11 h ahead of Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 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).

THB to USD in detail →

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Medford, MA Phuket 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, MA
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

Medford, MA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medford, MA is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,631 per month in Medford, MA and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,600 in Medford, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,087 in Medford, MA and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 142%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Medford, MA at $3,087. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medford, MA 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 142% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.