Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North East, MD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,506 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
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North East, MD Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,506

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,506 in North East, MD versus $1,208 in Phuket.

North East, MD $2,506
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,589 in North East, MD versus $2,027 in Phuket.

North East, MD $3,589
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,672 in North East, MD versus $2,845 in Phuket.

North East, MD $4,672
Phuket $2,845

Living in North East, MD is roughly 107% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: North East, MD is 85% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$4.40 ฿147

242.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

131.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 $10.23

$8.76 ฿293

16.78%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$2.83 ฿94.5

85.16%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$0.90 ฿30.14

158.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.47 ฿15.56

272.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.55 ฿85.2

170.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.83 ฿128

16.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.73 ฿57.7

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.47 ฿49.11

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.51 ฿50.6

77.48%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

76.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$19.70 ฿658

-52.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$3.34 ฿112

187.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 $18.48

$11.16 ฿373

65.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.85 ฿95.1

62.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.70 ฿56.9

-22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.19 ฿73.3

98.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.05 ฿68.4

95.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.45 ฿48.57

76.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.38 ฿46.16

78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.07 ฿35.69

138.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.51 ฿16.91

250.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 $13.99

$4.26 ฿142

228.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 $14.44

$18.58 ฿621

-22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.78 ฿59.7

36.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.85 ฿95.2

27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.01 ฿101

67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.06 ฿35.34

5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.07 $23.07

$3.86 ฿129

497.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.45 ฿48.45

-27.59%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

26.30%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.63%

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

$294 $294

$96.4 ฿3,221

204.90%

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

$49.39 $49.39

$11.04 ฿369

347.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$17.14 ฿573

254.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.46 $38.46

$52.2 ฿1,744

-26.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 $16.64

$7.81 ฿261

113.06%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$556 ฿18.6K

250.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K $27.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

139.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.28 $46.28

$64.2 ฿2,146

-27.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 $39.54

$28.69 ฿959

37.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$95.4 ฿3,187

-9.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$88.0 ฿2,940

49.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$737 ฿24.6K

139.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 $1,241

$462 ฿15.5K

168.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$2,095 ฿70.0K

28.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 $1,984

$1,201 ฿40.1K

65.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-24.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 $2,189

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-13.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for North East, MD: 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

North East, MD

$1.2K 49.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 62.7% $778

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North East, MD

$404 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 69.2% $279

Groceries & Markets

North East, MD

$360 14.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 25.3% $91

Eating Out

North East, MD

$274 10.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

North East, MD

$137 5.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

North East, MD

$72 2.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 5.5% $3.9

Getting Around

North East, MD

$20 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 101% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,767 in North East, MD and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in North East, MD vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

08:23 8:23 AM

11 h ahead of North East, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

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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Highest

Between locations

North East, MD Phuket 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

North East, MD
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

North East, MD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in North East, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,760 in North East, MD and $1,813 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,767 in North East, MD versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in North East, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,506 per month in North East, MD versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,506 in North East, MD, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in North East, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, North East, MD 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 107% less than in North East, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.