Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meridian, MS and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,675 in Meridian, MS, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Meridian, MS
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Meridian, MS Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Meridian, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,675

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,675 per month in Meridian, MS vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Meridian, MS $2,675
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,974 per month in Meridian, MS vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Meridian, MS $3,974
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $5,273 per month in Meridian, MS vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Meridian, MS $5,273
Phuket $3,115

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

Meridian, MS sits 98% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.23 $26.23

$4.39 ฿148

497.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 $105

$32.31 ฿1,086

225.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 $10.38

$8.70 ฿293

19.31%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$2.72 ฿91.6

50.00%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$0.93 ฿31.28

147.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.50 ฿16.79

322.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.53 ฿85.1

131.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.63 ฿122

123.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.74 ฿58.5

-47.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.45 ฿48.77

187.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.50 ฿50.5

34.67%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.17 ฿73.0

78.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 $15.29

$19.09 ฿642

-19.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$3.40 ฿114

154.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 $15.37

$10.90 ฿366

41.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.94 ฿98.9

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.69 ฿56.9

-36.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.19 ฿73.8

27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.12 ฿71.4

105.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.46 ฿49.03

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.37 ฿45.99

129.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.08 ฿36.17

96.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.55 ฿18.34

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 $8.95

$4.43 ฿149

102.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.60 $16.60

$18.25 ฿614

-9.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.77 ฿59.6

45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.88 ฿96.8

35.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.45 ฿48.66

44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 $53.5

$54.9 ฿1,845

-2.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.51 ฿50.9

137.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.78 ฿26.08

85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.67 $34.67

$3.84 ฿129

802.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.49 ฿50.0

-38.26%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

24.41%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

1.76%

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

$264 $264

$97.8 ฿3,288

169.67%

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

$71.3 $71.3

$11.29 ฿380

531.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$17.19 ฿578

332.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 $42.32

$68.3 ฿2,297

-38.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$12.52 $12.52

$7.43 ฿250

68.51%

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

$596 $596

$530 ฿17.8K

12.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

28.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$61.7 ฿2,073

-8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.70 $42.70

$28.25 ฿950

51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$96.0 ฿3,228

-8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$86.8 ฿2,919

37.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$721 ฿24.2K

115.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$509 ฿17.1K

148.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,950 ฿65.6K

32.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,397 ฿47.0K

51.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,858 $2,858

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-31.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-18.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,203 $4,203

$492 ฿16.5K

754.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

5.57

20.83%

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

Last update for Meridian, MS: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Meridian, MS

$1.3K 47.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59.7% $755

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meridian, MS

$409 15.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 69.2% $283

Groceries & Markets

Meridian, MS

$370 13.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 28% $104

Eating Out

Meridian, MS

$353 13.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 66.1% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Meridian, MS

$138 5.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Meridian, MS

$73 2.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 9.2% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Meridian, MS

$67 2.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 23.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Meridian, MS versus $721 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 in Meridian, MS are about 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Meridian, MS versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Meridian, MS

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

08:23 8:23 AM

13 h ahead of Meridian, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,200

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Meridian, MS Phuket 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Meridian, MS
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

Meridian, MS vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meridian, MS is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,012 per month in Meridian, MS and $1,940 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 $721 there versus $1,554 in Meridian, MS.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Meridian, MS and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,675 in Meridian, MS and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 52% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Meridian, MS at $2,675. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meridian, MS 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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Meridian, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.