Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Newport News, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,512 in Newport News, VA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Newport News, VA
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Newport News, VA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Newport News, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Newport News, VA

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 Newport News, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,512 in Newport News, VA.

Phuket $1,278
Newport News, VA $2,512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,653 in Newport News, VA.

Phuket $2,216
Newport News, VA $3,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,794 in Newport News, VA.

Phuket $3,154
Newport News, VA $4,794

Living in Phuket costs roughly 49% less than in Newport News, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Newport News, VA is 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$25.05 $25.05

-82.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$61.6 $61.6

-47.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.57 $10.57

-16.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.00 $6.00

-52.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.62 $2.62

-66.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.06 $2.06

-76.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.88 $7.88

-67.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.18 $8.18

-55.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.95 $0.95

74.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.56 $3.56

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.47 $3.47

-56.77%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.88 $2.88

-27.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.25 $7.25

163.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.22 $11.22

-70.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.82 $18.82

-42.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$7.12 $7.12

-58.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.02 $1.02

65.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$5.00 $5.00

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.19 $4.19

-50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.69 $2.69

-43.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.30 $3.30

-58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.03 $2.03

-47.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.66 $2.66

-80.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.73 $8.73

-51.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.84 $15.84

18.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.71 $1.71

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.71 $5.71

-50.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$2.03 $2.03

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$56.0 $56.0

1.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.09 $4.09

-26.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.32 $1.32

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$24.66 $24.66

-85.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.99 $0.99

48.48%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$27.8K $27.8K

-3.59%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$25.8K $25.8K

3.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$208 $208

-53.58%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$81.1 $81.1

-86.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$78.2 $78.2

-78.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$50.3 $50.3

33.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.67 $13.67

-45.14%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,930 $2,930

-83.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$41.1K $41.1K

-72.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$55.4 $55.4

12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$44.54 $44.54

-36.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$103 $103

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$125 $125

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,398 $1,398

-48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,072 $1,072

-54.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,883 $1,883

2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,727 $1,727

-17.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,438 $2,438

71.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,049 $2,049

48.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,926 $3,926

-87.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.54

-14.83%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Newport News, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Newport News, VA

$1.1K 42.7% 118% $581

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Newport News, VA

$394 15.7% 47.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Newport News, VA

$367 14.6% 195% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Newport News, VA

$148 5.9% 21.4% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Newport News, VA

$379 15.1% 211% $257

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Newport News, VA

$78 3.1% 5.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Newport News, VA

$75 3% 6.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,398 in Newport News, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport News, VA pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Newport News, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $394 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Newport News, VA

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

186,247

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Newport News, VA 15,000 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Newport News, VA

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 Newport News, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,512 in Newport News, VA, so Phuket is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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 $1,398 in Newport News, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Newport News, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,512 in Newport News, VA – Phuket is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,512 in Newport News, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Newport News, VA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Newport News, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.