Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Frederick, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,554 in Frederick, MD, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Frederick, MD
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Frederick, MD Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Frederick, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Frederick, MD

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 Frederick, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,554 in Frederick, MD.

Phuket $1,208
Frederick, MD $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $4,056 in Frederick, MD.

Phuket $2,027
Frederick, MD $4,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $5,558 in Frederick, MD.

Phuket $2,845
Frederick, MD $5,558

Living in Phuket costs roughly 53% less than in Frederick, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Frederick, MD is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$18.14 $18.14

-75.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$90.9 $90.9

-64.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.90 $9.90

-11.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.62 $4.62

-38.74%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$3.13 $3.13

-71.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.99 $1.99

-76.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.99 $5.99

-57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.32 $7.32

-47.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.99 $0.99

74.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$4.32 $4.32

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.62 $4.62

-67.32%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.81 $3.81

-43.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.96 $12.96

52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.26 $11.26

-70.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.56 $14.56

-23.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.51 $5.51

-48.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.56 $1.56

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.42 $4.42

-50.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$5.88 $5.88

-65.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.18 $3.18

-54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.82 $3.82

-63.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$3.39 $3.39

-68.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.35 $2.35

-78.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.80 $9.80

-56.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$16.75 $16.75

10.93%

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

$2.95 $2.95

-3.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.02 $4.02

-25.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.21 $1.21

-12.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$24.90 $24.90

-84.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.95 $0.95

52.63%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$29.0K $29.0K

-9.35%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

4.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$107 $107

-9.87%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$47.62 $47.62

-76.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$61.7 $61.7

-72.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.51 $41.51

25.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$14.57 $14.57

-46.40%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,615 $1,615

-65.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$36.2K $36.2K

-68.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$37.51 $37.51

71.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$36.77 $36.77

-21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$96.4 $96.4

-1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$97.5 $97.5

-9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,784 $1,784

-58.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,425 $1,425

-67.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$3,207 $3,207

-34.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,867 $2,867

-58.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,477 $2,477

40.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,146 $2,146

17.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$5,015 $5,015

-90.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.1

-8.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Frederick, MD: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Frederick, MD

$1.4K 55.8% 208% $962

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Frederick, MD

$417 16.3% 55.1% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Frederick, MD

$216 8.5% 73.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Frederick, MD

$121 4.7% 2.9% $3.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Frederick, MD

$295 11.6% 144% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Frederick, MD

$71 2.8% 4.2% $2.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Frederick, MD

$10 * 0.4% 74.5% $29

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 $737 in Phuket and $1,784 in Frederick, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frederick, MD pays 902% 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 $91.0 in Frederick, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $417 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Frederick, MD

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

18:01 6:01 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

72,237

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Frederick, MD 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Frederick, MD

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 Frederick, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Frederick, MD differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $2,554 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 902% lower in Frederick, MD. 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 $1,784 in Frederick, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Frederick, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $2,554 in Frederick, MD – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,554 in Frederick, MD, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Frederick, MD. 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 Frederick, MD 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 111% less than in Frederick, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.