Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bergen County, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $4,323 in Bergen County, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $37,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
208

Cost of Living Index in Bergen County, NJ
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Bergen County, NJ Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Bergen County, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$4,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $4,323 in Bergen County, NJ.

Phuket $1,208
Bergen County, NJ $4,323

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $5,463 in Bergen County, NJ.

Phuket $2,027
Bergen County, NJ $5,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $6,603 in Bergen County, NJ.

Phuket $2,845
Bergen County, NJ $6,603

Living in Phuket costs roughly 72% less than in Bergen County, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Bergen County, NJ is 219% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$22.48 $22.48

-80.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$85.3 $85.3

-62.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$12.83 $12.83

-31.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.13 $5.13

-44.83%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$3.07 $3.07

-70.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.23 $2.23

-78.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$8.19 $8.19

-68.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.09 $8.09

-52.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.45 $1.45

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$4.37 $4.37

-66.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$7.59 $7.59

-80.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.07 $5.07

-57.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.66 $12.66

55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.91 $11.91

-71.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.75 $17.75

-37.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.25 $5.25

-45.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.54 $1.54

10.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$5.10 $5.10

-57.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$5.05 $5.05

-59.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.73 $2.73

-46.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.05 $3.05

-54.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.38 $2.38

-55.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.39 $2.39

-78.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$11.90 $11.90

-64.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$24.56 $24.56

-24.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.72 $1.72

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$4.46 $4.46

-36.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$4.17 $4.17

-45.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$169 $169

-86.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.64 $2.64

14.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.53 $1.53

-30.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$24.11 $24.11

-83.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.06 $1.06

36.79%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.0K $28.0K

-6.04%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

4.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$211 $211

-54.22%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$73.5 $73.5

-84.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$64.7 $64.7

-73.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$98.2 $98.2

-46.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$49.53 $49.53

-77.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$15.26 $15.26

-48.82%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$2,285 $2,285

-75.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$24.1K $24.1K

-52.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$48.52 $48.52

32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$46.34 $46.34

-38.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$79.9 $79.9

19.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$153 $153

-42.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$2,786 $2,786

-73.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$2,685 $2,685

-82.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$4,541 $4,541

-53.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,963 $2,963

-59.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,928 $3,928

-11.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,697 $3,697

-31.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$5,356 $5,356

-90.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.62

-15.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bergen County, NJ: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Bergen County, NJ

$2.7K 62.1% 481% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Bergen County, NJ

$460 10.6% 71.1% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Bergen County, NJ

$349 8.1% 180% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bergen County, NJ

$147 3.4% 18.5% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Bergen County, NJ

$358 8.3% 195% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Bergen County, NJ

$129 3% 89.9% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bergen County, NJ

$196 4.5% 396% $156

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $2,786 in Bergen County, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen County, NJ pays 970% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $85.0 in Bergen County, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $460 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Bergen County, NJ

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

11,668

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bergen County, NJ 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bergen County, 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 Bergen County, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bergen County, NJ differ by about 258% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $4,323 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 970% lower in Bergen County, NJ. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $2,786 in Bergen County, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $85.0 in Bergen County, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $4,323 in Bergen County, NJ – a 258% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $4,323 in Bergen County, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bergen County, 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bergen County, NJ 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 258% less than in Bergen County, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.