Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ashland, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,666 in Ashland, MA, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
177

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, MA
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Ashland, MA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ashland, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ashland, MA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Ashland, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $3,666 in Ashland, MA, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Ashland, MA $3,666

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $4,760 in Ashland, MA, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Ashland, MA $4,760

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $5,853 in Ashland, MA, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Ashland, MA $5,853

Phuket is about 65% cheaper than Ashland, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Ashland, MA is 171% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$19.95 $19.95

-77.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$74.3 $74.3

-56.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$12.89 $12.89

-32.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$5.09 $5.09

-46.56%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.87 $2.87

-67.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.54 $2.54

-80.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$5.89 $5.89

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.26 $8.26

-56.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.01 $1.01

72.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$4.56 $4.56

-68.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$16.38 $16.38

-90.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$6.09 $6.09

-64.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$17.81 $17.81

7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$10.54 $10.54

-67.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$19.44 $19.44

-43.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$5.43 $5.43

-45.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$4.38 $4.38

-61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.25 $3.25

-32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.00 $3.00

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.25 $2.25

-35.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.47 $2.47

-44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.75 $2.75

-60.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.94 $2.94

-81.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.39 $13.39

-66.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$17.01 $17.01

7.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.83 $1.83

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.75 $2.75

4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.64 $3.64

-58.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.21 $2.21

-64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$48.19 $48.19

-92.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.95 $0.95

56.84%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$27.7K $27.7K

-2.97%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$26.1K $26.1K

1.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$197 $197

-50.41%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$36.92 $36.92

-69.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$61.0 $61.0

-71.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$74.9 $74.9

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$45.60 $45.60

-76.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$12.60 $12.60

-41.03%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$2,164 $2,164

-75.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$35.1K $35.1K

-46.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$38.44 $38.44

60.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$16.21 $16.21

74.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$100 $100

-4.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$99.1 $99.1

-12.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$2,082 $2,082

-65.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$2,317 $2,317

-78.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,812 $2,812

-30.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$2,843 $2,843

-50.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$4,942 $4,942

-15.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$4,270 $4,270

-22.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$8,146 $8,146

-93.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.51

-14.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ashland, MA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ashland, MA

$2.3K 63.2% 355% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ashland, MA

$498 13.6% 86.6% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ashland, MA

$295 8.1% 134% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ashland, MA

$114 3.1% 6.8% $8.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ashland, MA

$327 8.9% 174% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ashland, MA

$100 2.7% 20.4% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ashland, MA

$15 * 0.4% 77.8% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $2,082 in Ashland, MA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ashland, MA are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $74 in Ashland, MA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $498 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Ashland, MA

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,684

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ashland, MA 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ashland, MA

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

Phuket vs Ashland, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashland, MA costs about 183% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $5,499 in Ashland, MA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $2,082 in Ashland, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $3,666 in Ashland, MA. That makes Phuket about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $2,164 in Ashland, MA. 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 $1,294, than in Ashland, MA at $3,666. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashland, MA 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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