Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Newark, NJ
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Newark, NJ Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,865 in Newark, NJ versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Newark, NJ $2,865
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,206 in Newark, NJ versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Newark, NJ $4,206
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,546 in Newark, NJ versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Newark, NJ $5,546
Phuket $3,115

Living in Newark, NJ is roughly 121% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Newark, NJ is 112% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$4.39 ฿148

362.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$32.31 ฿1,086

214.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 $14.46

$8.70 ฿293

66.21%

Cappuccino

$6.68 $6.68

$2.72 ฿91.6

145.59%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$0.93 ฿31.28

315.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.50 ฿16.79

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.53 ฿85.1

211.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.63 ฿122

173.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.74 ฿58.5

-21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.45 ฿48.77

217.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$1.50 ฿50.5

415.33%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$2.17 ฿73.0

176.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$19.09 ฿642

-63.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 $18.01

$3.40 ฿114

429.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$10.90 ฿366

91.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.94 ฿98.9

140.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.69 ฿56.9

35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.19 ฿73.8

210.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.12 ฿71.4

217.92%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.46 ฿49.03

215.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.37 ฿45.99

254.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.08 ฿36.17

177.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.55 ฿18.34

396.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$4.43 ฿149

158.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 $19.68

$18.25 ฿614

7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.77 ฿59.6

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.88 ฿96.8

-3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.45 ฿48.66

31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 $72.0

$54.9 ฿1,845

31.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.51 ฿50.9

103.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.78 ฿26.08

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 $38.70

$3.84 ฿129

907.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.49 ฿50.0

-27.52%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

3.86%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-2.28%

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

$217 $217

$97.8 ฿3,288

121.91%

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

$71.6 $71.6

$11.29 ฿380

534.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$17.19 ฿578

308.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.28 $15.28

$68.3 ฿2,297

-77.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$10.92 ฿367

59.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 $14.59

$7.43 ฿250

96.37%

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

$2,155 $2,155

$530 ฿17.8K

306.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

80.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$61.7 ฿2,073

-3.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.50 $27.50

$28.25 ฿950

-2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$96.0 ฿3,228

25.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$86.8 ฿2,919

57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$721 ฿24.2K

245.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$509 ฿17.1K

159.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,273 $3,273

$1,950 ฿65.6K

67.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,397 ฿47.0K

45.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-0.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 $3,612

$3,298 ฿110.9K

9.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,912 $3,912

$492 ฿16.5K

695.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Newark, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 61.5% $812

Groceries & Markets

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 48.8% $254

Eating Out

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 67.7% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 64.8% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 20.7% $32

Getting Around

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 29.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 87% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,489 in Newark, NJ and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newark, NJ pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Newark, NJ vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $521 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

03:39 3:39 AM

12 h ahead of Newark, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 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 →

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Newark, NJ Phuket 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, 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

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

Phuket is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Newark, NJ is about 8 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: $2,489 in Newark, NJ versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 24% less than in Newark, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,155 in Newark, NJ versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,865 in Newark, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Newark, NJ. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Newark, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.