Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nashville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,847 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nashville, TN

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 Nashville, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,847 in Nashville, TN.

Phuket $1,207
Nashville, TN $2,847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $4,247 in Nashville, TN.

Phuket $2,037
Nashville, TN $4,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $5,647 in Nashville, TN.

Phuket $2,867
Nashville, TN $5,647

Living in Phuket costs roughly 58% less than in Nashville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Nashville, TN is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$18.45 $18.45

-75.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$84.1 $84.1

-61.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$12.21 $12.21

-29.98%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$6.61 $6.61

-58.85%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.88 $2.88

-67.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.43 $2.43

-79.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$6.91 $6.91

-62.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.98 $7.98

-52.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.14 $1.14

52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.93 $3.93

-63.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.96 $3.96

-61.36%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.31 $4.31

-49.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.91 $12.91

48.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$14.24 $14.24

-76.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$18.32 $18.32

-39.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.69 $5.69

-48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.52 $1.52

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$4.23 $4.23

-45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.08 $5.08

-58.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.59 $2.59

-40.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.02 $3.02

-54.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.26 $2.26

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$2.33 $2.33

-76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$10.39 $10.39

-59.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$15.51 $15.51

17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.37 $2.37

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$4.66 $4.66

-40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.03 $2.03

9.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$64.7 $64.7

-65.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$5.09 $5.09

-42.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.59 $1.59

-36.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$20.80 $20.80

-81.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.00 $1.00

49.00%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$36.7K $36.7K

-27.36%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

-1.34%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$232 $232

-57.11%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$74.0 $74.0

-84.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$74.8 $74.8

-76.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$55.2 $55.2

-5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.44 $14.44

-24.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$14.87 $14.87

-49.09%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$1,475 $1,475

-62.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$30.9K $30.9K

-62.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$55.5 $55.5

13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$43.06 $43.06

-33.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$91.7 $91.7

4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$139 $139

-36.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,999 $1,999

-63.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,380 $1,380

-66.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$4,438 $4,438

-52.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$2,422 $2,422

-49.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$8,035 $8,035

-56.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,673 $2,673

-6.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$4,645 $4,645

-89.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nashville, TN: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5% 200% $920

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Nashville, TN

$432 15.2% 61.3% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Nashville, TN

$381 13.4% 197% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nashville, TN

$148 5.2% 19.3% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Nashville, TN

$335 11.8% 177% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Nashville, TN

$85 3% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Nashville, TN

$86 3% 121% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,999 in Nashville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 842% 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 $84.0 in Nashville, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $432 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

14:35 2:35 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

689,447

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nashville, TN 15,090 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nashville, TN

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 Nashville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Nashville, TN differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $2,847 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 842% lower in Nashville, TN. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,999 in Nashville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $1,475 in Nashville, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Nashville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,847 in Nashville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. 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 Nashville, TN 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 136% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.