Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Laurel, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,546 in Mount Laurel, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Mount Laurel, NJ
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Mount Laurel, NJ Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mount Laurel, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,546

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,546 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $2,546
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,715 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $3,715
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,885 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Mount Laurel, NJ $4,885
Phuket $2,845

Mount Laurel, NJ costs about 111% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mount Laurel, NJ sits 88% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 $17.17

$4.40 ฿147

290.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

151.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$8.76 ฿293

34.47%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$2.83 ฿94.5

82.69%

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

$3.05 $3.05

$0.90 ฿30.14

238.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.47 ฿15.56

312.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.55 ฿85.2

18.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.83 ฿128

53.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.73 ฿57.7

-15.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.47 ฿49.11

91.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$1.51 ฿50.6

259.60%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$2.17 ฿72.7

82.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$19.70 ฿658

-37.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$3.34 ฿112

96.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$11.16 ฿373

19.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.85 ฿95.1

98.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.70 ฿56.9

-5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.19 ฿73.3

98.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.05 ฿68.4

117.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.45 ฿48.57

53.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.38 ฿46.16

127.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.07 ฿35.69

122.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.51 ฿16.91

364.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$4.26 ฿142

174.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$18.58 ฿621

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.78 ฿59.7

36.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.85 ฿95.2

56.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.26 ฿75.6

-5.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.01 ฿101

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.06 ฿35.34

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.84 $23.84

$3.86 ฿129

517.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$32.5K $32.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

23.44%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-1.38%

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

$212 $212

$96.4 ฿3,221

120.06%

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

$63.0 $63.0

$11.04 ฿369

471.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$17.14 ฿573

278.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.85 $38.85

$52.2 ฿1,744

-25.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 $15.47

$7.81 ฿261

98.08%

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

$2,268 $2,268

$556 ฿18.6K

307.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

260.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.83 $48.83

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 $47.01

$28.69 ฿959

63.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$95.4 ฿3,187

9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$88.0 ฿2,940

61.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$737 ฿24.6K

112.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$462 ฿15.5K

183.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,461 $2,461

$2,095 ฿70.0K

17.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,201 ฿40.1K

78.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,099 $3,099

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-11.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,106 $2,106

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-16.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.57

18.85%

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

Last update for Mount Laurel, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mount Laurel, NJ

$1.3K 51.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.8% $850

Groceries & Markets

Mount Laurel, NJ

$369 14.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 27.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Laurel, NJ

$340 13.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 63.4% $215

Eating Out

Mount Laurel, NJ

$282 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 56.9% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Laurel, NJ

$154 6.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Laurel, NJ

$70 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Mount Laurel, NJ

$19 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 108% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Mount Laurel, NJ versus $737 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 $81.0 in Mount Laurel, NJ versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mount Laurel, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

09:14 9:14 AM

11 h ahead of Mount Laurel, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,326

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mount Laurel, NJ Phuket 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mount Laurel, NJ
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

Mount Laurel, NJ vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mount Laurel, NJ is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,819 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ and $1,813 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,546 in Mount Laurel, NJ and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 111%.

Kindergarten costs $2,268 per month in Mount Laurel, NJ and $556 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 $1,208, than in Mount Laurel, NJ at $2,546. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mount Laurel, NJ 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.

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