Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nashville, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,847 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,847

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,847 in Nashville, TN versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Nashville, TN $2,847
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Nashville, TN versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Nashville, TN $4,247
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,647 in Nashville, TN versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Nashville, TN $5,647
Phuket $2,867

Living in Nashville, TN is roughly 136% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nashville, TN is 111% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.45 $18.45

$4.58 ฿153

302.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$32.48 ฿1,086

159.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$8.55 ฿286

42.81%

Cappuccino

$6.61 $6.61

$2.72 ฿91.0

143.01%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$0.94 ฿31.25

206.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.49 ฿16.39

395.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

166.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.83 ฿128

108.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.74 ฿58.1

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.43 ฿47.82

174.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.53 ฿51.0

158.82%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.17 ฿72.7

98.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$19.15 ฿640

-32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.24 $14.24

$3.30 ฿110

331.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.32 $18.32

$11.14 ฿372

64.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.95 ฿98.5

92.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.68 ฿56.1

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.30 ฿76.8

83.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.13 ฿71.3

138.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.53 ฿51.1

69.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

122.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.12 ฿37.44

101.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.55 ฿18.24

323.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$4.26 ฿142

143.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$18.19 ฿608

-14.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.74 ฿58.2

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.79 ฿93.3

67.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.22 ฿74.1

-8.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 $64.7

$22.06 ฿737

193.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.91 ฿97.3

74.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.01 ฿33.79

57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.80 $20.80

$3.83 ฿128

443.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.49 ฿49.85

-32.89%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

37.66%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

1.36%

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

$232 $232

$99.4 ฿3,321

133.13%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$11.28 ฿377

556.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.8 $74.8

$17.36 ฿580

331.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 $55.2

$52.3 ฿1,747

5.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.44 $14.44

$10.85 ฿362

33.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$7.57 ฿253

96.43%

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

$1,475 $1,475

$558 ฿18.7K

164.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

169.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$62.9 ฿2,102

-11.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 $43.06

$28.58 ฿955

50.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$96.1 ฿3,213

-4.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$88.1 ฿2,943

57.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$729 ฿24.4K

174.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$460 ฿15.4K

200.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,438 $4,438

$2,096 ฿70.0K

111.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 $2,422

$1,222 ฿40.8K

98.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,035 $8,035

$3,459 ฿115.6K

132.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,673 $2,673

$2,489 ฿83.2K

7.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,645 $4,645

$493 ฿16.5K

842.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Nashville, 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

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 66.7% $920

Groceries & Markets

Nashville, TN

$432 15.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nashville, TN

$381 13.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 66.4% $252

Eating Out

Nashville, TN

$335 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63.8% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Nashville, TN

$148 5.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.2% $24

Getting Around

Nashville, TN

$86 3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 54.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nashville, TN

$85 3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 20.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Nashville, TN and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 842% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Nashville, TN vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

12 h ahead of Nashville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

689,447

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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Nashville, TN Phuket 15,090 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nashville, TN
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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

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

Nashville, TN and Phuket differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($2,847 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 842% higher in Nashville, TN, 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: $1,999 in Nashville, TN versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,475 in Nashville, TN versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Nashville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,847 in Nashville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. 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, Nashville, TN and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.