Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ellsworth, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,720 in Ellsworth, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Ellsworth, ME
Learn more

Ellsworth, ME Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ellsworth, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ellsworth, ME

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 Ellsworth, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,720 in Ellsworth, ME.

Phuket $1,294
Ellsworth, ME $2,720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,044 in Ellsworth, ME.

Phuket $2,204
Ellsworth, ME $4,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,368 in Ellsworth, ME.

Phuket $3,115
Ellsworth, ME $5,368

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Ellsworth, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Ellsworth, ME is 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$16.57 $16.57

-73.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$121 $121

-73.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$14.85 $14.85

-41.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$5.05 $5.05

-46.14%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.09 $3.09

-69.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.47 $2.47

-79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$7.82 $7.82

-67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.81 $7.81

-53.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.10 $1.10

58.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$4.55 $4.55

-68.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$8.52 $8.52

-82.39%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.04 $4.04

-46.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$15.59 $15.59

22.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$7.60 $7.60

-55.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$16.12 $16.12

-32.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$4.71 $4.71

-37.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.72 $1.72

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$5.85 $5.85

-62.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$6.65 $6.65

-68.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$6.28 $6.28

-76.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$3.70 $3.70

-62.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$3.32 $3.32

-67.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$2.49 $2.49

-77.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$12.06 $12.06

-63.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$15.07 $15.07

21.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.86 $1.86

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.61 $2.61

10.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.73 $1.73

-16.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$60.6 $60.6

-9.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.10 $4.10

-63.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$2.21 $2.21

-64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$30.57 $30.57

-87.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.10 $1.10

35.45%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$27.0K $27.0K

-0.34%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$26.5K $26.5K

-0.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$179 $179

-45.30%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$68.9 $68.9

-83.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$77.5 $77.5

-77.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$38.83 $38.83

75.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$13.82 $13.82

-46.24%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,272 $1,272

-58.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$27.6K $27.6K

-32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$53.5 $53.5

15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$80.8 $80.8

-65.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$104 $104

-7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$132 $132

-34.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,602 $1,602

-55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,320 $1,320

-61.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,896 $2,896

-32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$2,070 $2,070

-32.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,909 $2,909

44.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,139 $2,139

54.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ellsworth, ME: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ellsworth, ME

$1.3K 48.5% 159% $811

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ellsworth, ME

$445 16.3% 66.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ellsworth, ME

$325 12% 158% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ellsworth, ME

$166 6.1% 35.6% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ellsworth, ME

$315 11.6% 163% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ellsworth, ME

$66 2.4% 20.1% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ellsworth, ME

$83 3% 25.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,602 in Ellsworth, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $121 in Ellsworth, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $445 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Ellsworth, ME

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ellsworth, ME 14,040 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ellsworth, ME

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 Ellsworth, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $4,080 in Ellsworth, ME to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,602 in Ellsworth, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,720 in Ellsworth, ME – Phuket is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 9% less than in Ellsworth, ME. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,720 in Ellsworth, ME, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ellsworth, ME. 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 52% less than in Ellsworth, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.