Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milton, DE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,655 in Milton, DE, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Milton, DE
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Milton, DE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Milton, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,655

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,655 in Milton, DE versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Milton, DE $2,655
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,869 in Milton, DE versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Milton, DE $3,869
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,082 in Milton, DE versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Milton, DE $5,082
Phuket $3,154

Living in Milton, DE is roughly 108% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Milton, DE is 95% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.90 $22.90

$4.47 ฿151

412.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 $72.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

122.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.75 $11.75

$8.81 ฿297

33.37%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$2.83 ฿95.5

96.82%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$0.87 ฿29.43

197.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.49 ฿16.67

326.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.56 ฿86.4

144.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.68 ฿124

116.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.46 ฿49.35

143.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.50 ฿50.6

187.33%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$2.09 ฿70.5

93.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 $12.59

$19.07 ฿644

-33.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$3.30 ฿111

259.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$10.91 ฿368

58.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.93 ฿99.0

74.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.69 ฿57.1

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.25 ฿75.8

92.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.08 ฿70.1

119.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.51 ฿51.0

88.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.38 ฿46.56

119.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.07 ฿35.99

103.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.52 ฿17.52

344.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 $10.30

$4.20 ฿142

145.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$18.79 ฿634

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.82 ฿61.5

9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.84 ฿95.9

17.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.45 ฿49.03

40.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$56.7 ฿1,913

5.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.02 ฿102

3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.02 ฿34.36

65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.33 $30.33

$3.69 ฿125

721.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 ฿49.81

-31.97%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

6.18%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.58%

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

$204 $204

$96.4 ฿3,254

111.67%

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

$57.1 $57.1

$11.26 ฿380

407.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$16.85 ฿569

319.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 $39.54

$67.2 ฿2,270

-41.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.47 $40.47

$10.73 ฿362

277.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.20 $14.20

$7.50 ฿253

89.33%

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

$1,374 $1,374

$476 ฿16.1K

188.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

109.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$62.4 ฿2,106

-16.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$28.41 ฿959

47.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 $89.1

$94.3 ฿3,184

-5.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$85.8 ฿2,898

31.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$716 ฿24.2K

120.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 $1,291

$491 ฿16.6K

162.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,567 $2,567

$1,927 ฿65.1K

33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,064 $2,064

$1,431 ฿48.3K

44.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,838 $2,838

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-32.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-23.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,888 $3,888

$502 ฿17.0K

674.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Milton, DE: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milton, DE

$1.3K 48.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62% $800

Groceries & Markets

Milton, DE

$401 15.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.6% $135

Eating Out

Milton, DE

$351 13.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 65.3% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milton, DE

$332 12.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 62.5% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Milton, DE

$133 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.4% $11

Getting Around

Milton, DE

$80 3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 11.5% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Milton, DE

$68 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,582 in Milton, DE and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton, DE pays about 7.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Milton, DE vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milton, DE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

05:05 5:05 AM

11 h ahead of Milton, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Milton, DE Phuket 14,790 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Milton, DE
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

Milton, DE vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Milton, DE is about 7.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,582 in Milton, DE versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Milton, DE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $72 in Milton, DE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,655 in Milton, DE, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Milton, DE. 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.

Safety-wise, Milton, DE and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Milton, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.