Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Edison, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,122 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ.

Phuket $1,278
Edison, NJ $3,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,397 in Edison, NJ.

Phuket $2,216
Edison, NJ $4,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,671 in Edison, NJ.

Phuket $3,154
Edison, NJ $5,671

Living in Phuket costs roughly 59% less than in Edison, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Edison, NJ is 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.26 $18.26

-75.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$59.8 $59.8

-45.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.17 $9.17

-3.93%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.08 $4.08

-30.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.03 $1.03

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.98 $0.98

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.44 $3.44

-25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.82 $6.82

-46.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.00 $1.00

66.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.22 $3.22

-54.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.14 $6.14

-75.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.54 $2.54

-17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.49 $13.49

41.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.34 $10.34

-68.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.70 $19.70

-44.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.93 $5.93

-50.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.54 $1.54

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.32 $4.32

-47.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.40 $5.40

-61.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.01 $3.01

-49.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.11 $3.11

-55.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.10 $3.10

-65.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.96 $1.96

-73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.05 $10.05

-58.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.72 $14.72

27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.76 $1.76

3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.54 $3.54

-19.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$5.84 $5.84

-75.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$199 $199

-71.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.05 $3.05

-0.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.91 $0.91

12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$42.35 $42.35

-91.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.90 $0.90

63.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.5K $27.5K

-2.50%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.4K $26.4K

1.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$170 $170

-43.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$51.4 $51.4

-78.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$50.6 $50.6

-66.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$21.98 $21.98

205.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.98 $14.98

-49.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,006 $2,006

-76.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$15.8K $15.8K

-28.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$50.8 $50.8

22.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$80.2 $80.2

-64.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$61.1 $61.1

54.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$88.5 $88.5

-3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,171 $2,171

-67.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,772 $1,772

-72.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,129 $3,129

-38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,722 $2,722

-47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$6,960 $6,960

-92.78%

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 Edison, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8% 261% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1% 53.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7% 119% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1% 3.6% $4.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4% 115% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7% 36.8% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4% 225% $159

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $60 in Edison, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $408 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

18:05 6:05 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

107,588

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Edison, NJ 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Edison, 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 Edison, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $3,122 in Edison, NJ, so Phuket is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 93% 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 $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 71% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,006 in Edison, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Edison, 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 59% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.