Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cary, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,871 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
Learn more

Cary, NC Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cary, NC

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 Cary, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,871 in Cary, NC.

Phuket $1,278
Cary, NC $2,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,202 in Cary, NC.

Phuket $2,216
Cary, NC $4,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,532 in Cary, NC.

Phuket $3,154
Cary, NC $5,532

Living in Phuket costs roughly 55% less than in Cary, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cary, NC is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.79 $19.79

-77.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$101 $101

-67.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.32 $10.32

-14.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.09 $5.09

-44.40%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.11 $2.11

-58.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.92 $1.92

-74.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.39 $4.39

-41.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.34 $6.34

-41.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.00 $1.00

66.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$5.52 $5.52

-73.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.90 $5.90

-74.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.23 $4.23

-50.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$18.17 $18.17

4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$17.20 $17.20

-80.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.71 $17.71

-38.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.00 $6.00

-51.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.87 $1.87

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.61 $3.61

-37.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.68 $6.68

-68.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.18 $3.18

-52.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$4.35 $4.35

-68.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.83 $2.83

-62.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.37 $2.37

-78.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.89 $9.89

-57.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.22 $10.22

83.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.28 $2.28

-20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.97 $3.97

-28.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.54 $2.54

-42.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$80.9 $80.9

-29.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.87 $0.87

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$29.2K $29.2K

-8.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$184 $184

-47.58%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$48.24 $48.24

-76.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$68.0 $68.0

-75.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$77.0 $77.0

-12.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$22.39 $22.39

-52.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.06 $15.06

-50.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,466 $1,466

-67.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$64.3 $64.3

-2.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.17 $32.17

-11.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$119 $119

-21.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$135 $135

-36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,937 $1,937

-63.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,427 $1,427

-65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,639 $2,639

-26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,167 $2,167

-33.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,869 $2,869

45.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,638 $2,638

15.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$6,077 $6,077

-91.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.42

-13.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cary, NC: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.7% 191% $936

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cary, NC

$486 16.9% 82.6% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cary, NC

$300 10.5% 141% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cary, NC

$158 5.5% 29.5% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cary, NC

$301 10.5% 148% $179

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cary, NC

$107 3.7% 30.3% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cary, NC

$91 * 3.2% 29% $21

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,937 in Cary, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $101 in Cary, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $486 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

19:46 7:46 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

176,987

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cary, NC 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cary, NC

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 Cary, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,937 in Cary, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,466 in Cary, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,871 in Cary, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. 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 55% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.