Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Islip, NY

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Islip, NY: $1,278 and $1,259 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,259 in Islip, NY.

Phuket $1,278
Islip, NY $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,207 in Islip, NY.

Phuket $2,216
Islip, NY $2,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,154 in Islip, NY.

Phuket $3,154
Islip, NY $3,154

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Islip, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Islip, NY 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$26.10 $26.10

-82.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$122 $122

-73.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.05 $14.05

-37.30%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.14 $5.14

-44.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.85 $2.85

-69.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.28 $2.28

-78.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.77 $7.77

-67.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$10.17 $10.17

-63.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.39 $1.39

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$4.54 $4.54

-67.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.05 $4.05

-62.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.02 $5.02

-58.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$18.69 $18.69

2.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$17.41 $17.41

-81.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.45 $16.45

-33.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.47 $4.47

-34.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.29 $1.29

31.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.17 $2.17

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.91 $2.91

-28.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.78 $1.78

-15.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.17 $2.17

-36.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.53 $1.53

-30.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.10 $1.10

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$14.94 $14.94

-71.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.96 $12.96

44.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.35 $2.35

-22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.76 $3.76

-24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$4.37 $4.37

-66.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.98 $2.98

1.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.20 $2.20

-53.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.26 $41.26

-91.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.17 $1.17

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.9K $27.9K

-4.18%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$80.2 $80.2

20.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$71.2 $71.2

-84.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$69.8 $69.8

-75.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$59.6 $59.6

12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.83 $15.83

-52.62%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$3,537 $3,537

-86.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$61.6K $61.6K

-81.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$44.55 $44.55

39.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$27.92 $27.92

1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$75.0 $75.0

25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$91.4 $91.4

-6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,989 $1,989

-64.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,382 $3,382

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

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

$3,975 $3,975

-87.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.63

-15.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Islip, NY

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Islip, NY

$416 33% 56.1% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Islip, NY

$221 17.6% 77.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Islip, NY

$107 8.5% 11.8% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Islip, NY

$392 31.2% 222% $271

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Islip, NY

$91 7.3% 11% $9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5% 55.4% $39

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 $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 7.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $122 in Islip, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $416 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

339,938

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Islip, NY 14,540 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is cheaper overall, especially in transport and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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 $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $3,537 in Islip, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Islip, NY gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.