Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jacksonville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC.

Phuket $1,278
Jacksonville, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC.

Phuket $2,216
Jacksonville, NC $3,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC.

Phuket $3,154
Jacksonville, NC $4,637

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Jacksonville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Jacksonville, NC is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.57 $15.57

-71.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$58.9 $58.9

-44.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.89 $9.89

-10.92%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.81 $4.81

-41.16%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.56 $2.56

-66.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.97 $1.97

-75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.94 $4.94

-48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.06 $7.06

-47.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.17 $1.17

41.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$4.21 $4.21

-65.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$11.08 $11.08

-86.46%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.04 $6.04

-65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$19.50 $19.50

-2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$17.09 $17.09

-80.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.53 $24.53

-55.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.87 $5.87

-50.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.86 $1.86

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$8.23 $8.23

-72.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.17 $6.17

-66.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$6.88 $6.88

-78.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$4.00 $4.00

-65.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.77 $2.77

-61.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.04 $2.04

-74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.96 $8.96

-53.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.02 $15.02

25.10%

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

$3.96 $3.96

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.53 $1.53

-5.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$90.4 $90.4

-37.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.54 $2.54

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.91 $0.91

61.54%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.4K $27.4K

-2.19%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.7K $25.7K

3.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$174 $174

-44.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$76.0 $76.0

-85.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$71.2 $71.2

-76.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.20 $31.20

115.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$1.71 $1.71

527.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.59 $15.59

-51.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$796 $796

-40.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$60.9 $60.9

2.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.56 $39.56

-28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$103 $103

-8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$138 $138

-38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,384 $1,384

-48.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,094 $1,094

-55.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,809 $1,809

6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,451 $1,451

-1.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,049 $2,049

103.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,833 $1,833

66.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,208 $2,208

-77.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.37

-12.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8% 123% $603

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7% 109% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6% 158% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6% 26.2% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5% 121% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4% 24.2% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9% 40.4% $28

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $59 in Jacksonville, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $555 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

18:55 6:55 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

949,611

💱 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 Jacksonville, NC 15,250 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, so Phuket is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 37% less than in Jacksonville, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $796 in Jacksonville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Jacksonville, 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 50% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.