Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bismarck, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,355 in Bismarck, ND.

Phuket $1,294
Bismarck, ND $2,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,453 in Bismarck, ND.

Phuket $2,204
Bismarck, ND $3,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,551 in Bismarck, ND.

Phuket $3,115
Bismarck, ND $4,551

Living in Phuket costs roughly 45% less than in Bismarck, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Bismarck, ND is 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$29.75 $29.75

-85.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$69.5 $69.5

-53.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$17.29 $17.29

-49.68%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.16 $6.16

-55.84%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.60 $2.60

-64.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.80 $1.80

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$5.45 $5.45

-53.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.95 $6.95

-47.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.00 $1.00

74.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.59 $2.59

-44.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.13 $2.13

-29.58%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.68 $2.68

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.87 $7.87

142.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$12.98 $12.98

-73.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$16.16 $16.16

-32.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.48 $3.48

-15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.72 $1.72

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.11 $3.11

-29.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$4.40 $4.40

-51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.90 $1.90

-23.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.64 $2.64

-48.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$2.20 $2.20

-50.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$2.80 $2.80

-80.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$8.63 $8.63

-48.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$20.29 $20.29

-10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.82 $1.82

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.93 $3.93

-26.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.53 $1.53

-5.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$35.49 $35.49

54.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.92 $0.92

61.96%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$27.1K $27.1K

-0.96%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$22.6K $22.6K

16.82%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$207 $207

-52.80%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$73.9 $73.9

-84.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$83.7 $83.7

-79.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$33.94 $33.94

101.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$12.06 $12.06

-38.39%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$809 $809

-34.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$9,125 $9,125

105.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$66.3 $66.3

-6.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$95.3 $95.3

0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$79.6 $79.6

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,010 $1,010

-28.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$995 $995

-48.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,526 $1,526

27.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,631 $1,631

-14.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,440 $2,440

71.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,971 $1,971

67.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$4,378 $4,378

-88.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.84

-18.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bismarck, ND: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bismarck, ND

$995 42.2% 95.5% $486

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5% 36.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5% 189% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.6% 11.6% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bismarck, ND

$423 17.9% 253% $303

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bismarck, ND

$58 2.5% 30.2% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bismarck, ND

$42 * 1.8% 37% $24

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 $721 in Phuket and $1,010 in Bismarck, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays about 8.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $70 in Bismarck, ND for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $365 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,333

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bismarck, ND 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, so Phuket is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $1,010 in Bismarck, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Bismarck, ND. 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 $70 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bismarck, ND. 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 Bismarck, ND are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bismarck, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.