Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Memphis, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,501 in Memphis, TN, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,501

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Memphis, TN vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Memphis, TN $2,501
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,673 per month in Memphis, TN vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Memphis, TN $3,673
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Memphis, TN vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Memphis, TN $4,844
Phuket $2,867

Memphis, TN costs about 107% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Memphis, TN sits 85% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$4.58 ฿153

292.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

129.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$8.55 ฿286

42.22%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$2.72 ฿91.0

108.82%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$0.94 ฿31.25

155.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.49 ฿16.39

306.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.59 ฿86.6

174.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.83 ฿128

109.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.74 ฿58.1

-45.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.43 ฿47.82

120.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.53 ฿51.0

158.82%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$2.17 ฿72.7

73.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$19.15 ฿640

-31.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$3.30 ฿110

246.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$11.14 ฿372

69.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.95 ฿98.5

92.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.30 ฿76.8

148.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.13 ฿71.3

133.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.53 ฿51.1

105.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.36 ฿45.55

206.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.12 ฿37.44

135.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.55 ฿18.24

292.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 $10.87

$4.26 ฿142

155.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$18.19 ฿608

-28.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.74 ฿58.2

1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.79 ฿93.3

-42.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.22 ฿74.1

-54.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 $38.55

$22.06 ฿737

74.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.91 ฿97.3

-30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.01 ฿33.79

39.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.36 $20.36

$3.83 ฿128

431.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.49 ฿49.85

-31.54%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

39.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

1.40%

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

$187 $187

$99.4 ฿3,321

88.34%

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

$86.3 $86.3

$11.28 ฿377

664.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$17.36 ฿580

336.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 $31.47

$52.3 ฿1,747

-39.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 $16.62

$10.85 ฿362

53.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$7.57 ฿253

94.98%

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

$1,720 $1,720

$558 ฿18.7K

208.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

116.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.08 $47.08

$62.9 ฿2,102

-25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 $33.58

$28.58 ฿955

17.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

-14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$88.1 ฿2,943

76.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$729 ฿24.4K

98.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 $1,175

$460 ฿15.4K

155.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-1.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$1,222 ฿40.8K

55.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 $1,755

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-49.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 $1,351

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-45.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,523 $3,523

$493 ฿16.5K

614.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Memphis, TN: 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

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 47%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 60.8% $715

Groceries & Markets

Memphis, TN

$404 16.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 33.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Memphis, TN

$349 14%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 63.3% $221

Eating Out

Memphis, TN

$318 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 61.8% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Memphis, TN

$143 5.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Memphis, TN

$61 2.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 10.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 24.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,448 in Memphis, TN 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.

Salaries run about 615% higher in Memphis, TN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Memphis, TN versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

12 h ahead of Memphis, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

633,104

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Memphis, TN Phuket 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Memphis, TN
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

Memphis, TN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,501 in Memphis, TN, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,752 per month in Memphis, TN 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.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,720 per month in Memphis, TN and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Memphis, TN at $2,501. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Memphis, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $2,501 in Memphis, TN. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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