Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murfreesboro, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,343 in Murfreesboro, TN, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Murfreesboro, TN, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Murfreesboro, TN
🇺🇸 United States
$2,343
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,343 per month in Murfreesboro, TN vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murfreesboro, TN $2,343
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,388 per month in Murfreesboro, TN vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murfreesboro, TN $3,388
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,434 per month in Murfreesboro, TN vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murfreesboro, TN $4,434
  • Phuket $3,154

Murfreesboro, TN costs about 83% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Murfreesboro, TN sits 72% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.34 $17.34
$4.47 ฿151
287.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 $74.7
$32.41 ฿1,094
130.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.07 $10.07
$8.81 ฿297
14.30%
Cappuccino
$5.52 $5.52
$2.83 ฿95.4
95.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 $2.64
$0.87 ฿29.42
203.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 $2.55
$0.49 ฿16.66
420.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.95 $3.95
$2.56 ฿86.3
54.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.09 $6.09
$3.68 ฿124
65.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.66 ฿56.0
-38.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.98 $2.98
$1.46 ฿49.32
104.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.37 $3.37
$1.50 ฿50.5
124.67%
Eggs
$4.28 $4.28
$2.09 ฿70.5
104.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.29 $10.29
$19.07 ฿643
-46.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.50 $9.50
$3.30 ฿111
187.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.97 $14.97
$10.91 ฿368
37.21%
Apples (1kg)
$6.44 $6.44
$2.93 ฿98.9
119.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.69 ฿57.0
-33.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.72 $2.72
$2.25 ฿75.8
20.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.63 $4.63
$2.08 ฿70.1
122.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.51 ฿51.0
31.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.65 $2.65
$1.38 ฿46.54
92.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.07 ฿35.97
98.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 $1.59
$0.52 ฿17.51
205.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.34 $9.34
$4.20 ฿142
122.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.84 $14.84
$18.79 ฿634
-21.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.82 ฿61.5
-2.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 $3.18
$2.84 ฿95.9
11.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.45 ฿49.00
-28.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.03 $45.03
$56.7 ฿1,912
-20.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.95 $4.95
$3.02 ฿102
63.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.52 $1.52
$1.02 ฿34.34
49.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.07 $30.07
$3.69 ฿125
714.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.47 ฿49.78
-40.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K $28.4K
$26.8K ฿903.7K
6.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K $25.1K
$26.7K ฿900.8K
-6.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$231 $231
$96.4 ฿3,252
140.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.4 $54.4
$11.26 ฿380
383.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.4 $54.4
$16.85 ฿569
223.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.22 $17.22
$67.2 ฿2,269
-74.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.46 $30.46
$10.73 ฿362
183.88%
Cinema Ticket
$14.75 $14.75
$7.50 ฿253
96.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,242 $1,242
$476 ฿16.1K
161.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.2K $24.2K
$11.3K ฿380.1K
115.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.44 $49.44
$62.4 ฿2,105
-20.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.09 $45.09
$28.41 ฿959
58.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.9 $88.9
$94.3 ฿3,182
-5.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 $126
$85.8 ฿2,896
46.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,164 $1,164
$716 ฿24.2K
62.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,117 $1,117
$491 ฿16.6K
127.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,206 $2,206
$1,927 ฿65.0K
14.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,719 $1,719
$1,431 ฿48.3K
20.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,748 $2,748
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-34.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,461 $2,461
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-19.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Murfreesboro, TN
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,221 $4,221
$502 ฿17.0K
740.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.49
5.57
16.52%

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

Last update for Murfreesboro, TN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Murfreesboro, TN
$1.1K
Phuket
$491 56% $626
Groceries & Markets
Murfreesboro, TN
$351
Phuket
$266 24.1% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murfreesboro, TN
$340
Phuket
$124 63.4% $216
Eating Out
Murfreesboro, TN
$288
Phuket
$122 57.7% $166
Clothing & Footwear
Murfreesboro, TN
$139
Phuket
$122 12.3% $17
Getting Around
Murfreesboro, TN
$62
Phuket
$71 14.4% $8.9
Sport & Entertainment
Murfreesboro, TN
$47
Phuket
$82 76% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in Murfreesboro, TN 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.

Salaries in Murfreesboro, TN are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Murfreesboro, TN versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Murfreesboro, TN
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
01:02 1:02 AM
14:02 2:02 PM
13 h ahead of Murfreesboro, TN
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
126,118
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Murfreesboro, TN Phuket 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Murfreesboro, 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
Murfreesboro, TN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Murfreesboro, TN or Phuket?
Murfreesboro, TN costs about 83% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Murfreesboro, TN and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,514 per month in Murfreesboro, TN and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Murfreesboro, TN or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,164 in Murfreesboro, TN.
Are groceries more expensive in Murfreesboro, TN or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Murfreesboro, TN, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Murfreesboro, TN and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Murfreesboro, TN and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Murfreesboro, TN or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Murfreesboro, TN at $2,343. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Murfreesboro, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Murfreesboro, TN or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Murfreesboro, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Murfreesboro, TN vs other spots: cost of living compared

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