Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Atlantic City, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,815 in Atlantic City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
134

Cost of Living Index in Atlantic City, NJ
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Atlantic City, NJ Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Atlantic City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Atlantic City, NJ

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 Atlantic City, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,815 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Phuket $1,294
Atlantic City, NJ $2,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,199 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Phuket $2,204
Atlantic City, NJ $4,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,583 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Phuket $3,115
Atlantic City, NJ $5,583

Living in Phuket costs roughly 54% less than in Atlantic City, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Atlantic City, NJ is 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$19.66 $19.66

-77.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$99.2 $99.2

-67.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$11.30 $11.30

-23.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$5.70 $5.70

-52.28%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.26 $2.26

-58.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.92 $1.92

-73.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$5.83 $5.83

-56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.94 $8.94

-59.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.20 $1.20

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$3.41 $3.41

-57.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$7.17 $7.17

-79.08%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$4.34 $4.34

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$11.03 $11.03

73.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$16.78 $16.78

-79.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$20.36 $20.36

-46.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$7.74 $7.74

-62.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.81 $3.81

-55.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$5.44 $5.44

-59.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$6.11 $6.11

-65.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.92 $3.92

-62.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$4.69 $4.69

-70.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.62 $2.62

-58.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.43 $2.43

-77.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$14.24 $14.24

-68.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$13.36 $13.36

36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.75 $2.75

-35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.25 $3.25

-11.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.95 $2.95

-50.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$90.0 $90.0

-39.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.94 $2.94

-48.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.22 $2.22

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$41.74 $41.74

-90.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.89 $0.89

67.42%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.3K $20.3K

32.54%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$24.7K $24.7K

6.82%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$223 $223

-56.06%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$61.6 $61.6

-81.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$61.2 $61.2

-71.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$29.58 $29.58

131.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$50.8 $50.8

-78.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$16.85 $16.85

-55.91%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$494 $494

7.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,073 $7,073

165.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$69.9 $69.9

-11.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$31.16 $31.16

-9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$117 $117

-18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$120 $120

-27.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,762 $1,762

-59.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,323 $1,323

-61.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,377 $2,377

-17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$2,132 $2,132

-34.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$4,349 $4,349

-3.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$4,265 $4,265

-22.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$4,006 $4,006

-87.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.78

-17.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Atlantic City, NJ: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Atlantic City, NJ

$1.3K 47% 160% $815

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Atlantic City, NJ

$492 17.5% 84.3% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Atlantic City, NJ

$345 12.3% 174% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Atlantic City, NJ

$152 5.4% 24.1% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Atlantic City, NJ

$323 11.5% 171% $204

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Atlantic City, NJ

$63 2.3% 23.9% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Atlantic City, NJ

$116 4.1% 75.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,762 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atlantic City, NJ pays about 8.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $99 in Atlantic City, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $492 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Atlantic City, NJ

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,958

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Atlantic City, NJ 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Atlantic City, NJ

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 Atlantic City, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,815 in Atlantic City, NJ, so Phuket is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,762 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Atlantic City, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $99 in Atlantic City, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,815 in Atlantic City, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Atlantic City, 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 54% less than in Atlantic City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.