Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and New Castle, DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,646 in New Castle, DE, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
128

Cost of Living Index in New Castle, DE
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New Castle, DE Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

New Castle, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in New Castle, DE

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 New Castle, DE actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,646 in New Castle, DE.

Phuket $1,294
New Castle, DE $2,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,835 in New Castle, DE.

Phuket $2,204
New Castle, DE $3,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,024 in New Castle, DE.

Phuket $3,115
New Castle, DE $5,024

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in New Castle, DE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, New Castle, DE is 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.87 $17.87

-75.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$90.4 $90.4

-64.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$10.73 $10.73

-18.92%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$5.31 $5.31

-48.78%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$3.04 $3.04

-69.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.94 $1.94

-74.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$6.88 $6.88

-63.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.86 $7.86

-53.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.15 $1.15

51.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.97 $3.97

-63.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.14 $4.14

-63.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$4.82 $4.82

-54.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$12.89 $12.89

48.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$12.84 $12.84

-73.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$18.70 $18.70

-41.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$5.95 $5.95

-50.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.52 $1.52

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$5.85 $5.85

-62.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$5.01 $5.01

-57.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.69 $2.69

-45.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.96 $2.96

-53.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$2.35 $2.35

-54.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$2.34 $2.34

-76.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.72 $13.72

-67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$15.69 $15.69

16.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.56 $2.56

-30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.79 $3.79

-24.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.96 $1.96

-26.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$60.4 $60.4

-9.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.85 $1.85

-18.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.33 $1.33

-41.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$24.21 $24.21

-84.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.05 $1.05

41.90%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$34.3K $34.3K

-21.64%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$26.1K $26.1K

0.88%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$213 $213

-54.12%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$66.9 $66.9

-83.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$68.8 $68.8

-75.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$40.32 $40.32

69.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$14.25 $14.25

-47.86%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,944 $1,944

-72.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$20.7K $20.7K

-9.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$52.4 $52.4

17.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$62.3 $62.3

-54.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$92.8 $92.8

3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$110 $110

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,374 $1,374

-47.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,263 $1,263

-59.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$2,058 $2,058

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$1,922 $1,922

-27.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$3,119 $3,119

34.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$2,099 $2,099

57.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.9

-19.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for New Castle, DE: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

New Castle, DE

$1.3K 47.7% 148% $754

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

New Castle, DE

$436 16.5% 63.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

New Castle, DE

$349 13.2% 176% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

New Castle, DE

$143 5.4% 16.5% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

New Castle, DE

$309 11.7% 158% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

New Castle, DE

$69 2.6% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

New Castle, DE

$77 2.9% 16.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,374 in New Castle, DE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $90 in New Castle, DE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $436 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 New Castle, DE

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,926

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket New Castle, DE 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
New Castle, DE

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 New Castle, DE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in New Castle, DE. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $3,969 in New Castle, DE to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,374 in New Castle, DE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,944 in New Castle, DE. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in New Castle, DE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,646 in New Castle, DE, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in New Castle, DE. 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 51% less than in New Castle, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.