Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kingston, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,082 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Kingston, NY
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Kingston, NY Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kingston, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,082 in Kingston, NY.

Phuket $1,278
Kingston, NY $3,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,513 in Kingston, NY.

Phuket $2,216
Kingston, NY $4,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,943 in Kingston, NY.

Phuket $3,154
Kingston, NY $5,943

Living in Phuket costs roughly 59% less than in Kingston, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Kingston, NY is 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$25.17 $25.17

-82.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$78.5 $78.5

-58.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.86 $14.86

-40.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.17 $6.17

-54.13%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.67 $2.67

-67.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.36 $2.36

-79.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$8.11 $8.11

-68.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.93 $8.93

-58.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.98 $0.98

69.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$4.72 $4.72

-69.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$6.59 $6.59

-77.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.48 $4.48

-53.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.84 $15.84

20.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.65 $10.65

-69.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.20 $17.20

-36.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.80 $4.80

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.27 $1.27

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.73 $4.73

-52.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.74 $6.74

-69.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.77 $3.77

-59.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$3.39 $3.39

-59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.54 $2.54

-57.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.86 $1.86

-72.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$16.96 $16.96

-75.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.17 $15.17

23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.94 $1.94

-6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.48 $3.48

-18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$2.09 $2.09

-30.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$61.1 $61.1

-7.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.19 $3.19

-5.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.82 $1.82

-43.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.48 $26.48

-86.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.90 $0.90

63.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$31.5K $31.5K

-14.87%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

4.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$210 $210

-54.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$67.2 $67.2

-83.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$79.0 $79.0

-78.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.10 $43.10

55.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$58.9 $58.9

-81.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.95 $14.95

-49.83%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,452 $2,452

-80.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$23.2K $23.2K

-51.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$49.02 $49.02

27.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.80 $29.80

-4.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$81.9 $81.9

15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$77.3 $77.3

11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,861 $1,861

-61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,630 $1,630

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,292 $3,292

-41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,715 $2,715

-47.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,221 $3,221

29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,238 $3,238

-5.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,109 $3,109

-83.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.68

-16.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kingston, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kingston, NY

$1.6K 52.9% 232% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kingston, NY

$435 14.1% 63.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kingston, NY

$357 11.6% 186% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kingston, NY

$107 3.5% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kingston, NY

$399 12.9% 228% $277

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kingston, NY

$73 2.4% 11.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kingston, NY

$82 2.7% 15.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,861 in Kingston, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston, NY pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in Kingston, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $435 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Kingston, NY

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

08:50 8:50 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,436

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kingston, NY 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kingston, 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 Kingston, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $1,861 in Kingston, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $3,082 in Kingston, NY – Phuket is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 7% less than in Kingston, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,082 in Kingston, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kingston, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Kingston, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.