Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and North Brunswick, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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 North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Phuket $1,294
North Brunswick, NJ $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,704 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Phuket $2,204
North Brunswick, NJ $3,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,955 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Phuket $3,115
North Brunswick, NJ $4,955

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in North Brunswick, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, North Brunswick, NJ is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$20.22 $20.22

-78.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$61.1 $61.1

-47.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$11.90 $11.90

-26.89%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.03 $3.03

-10.23%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.62 $2.62

-64.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.18 $1.18

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$6.69 $6.69

-62.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.04 $6.04

-39.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.10 $1.10

58.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.60 $1.60

-9.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.70 $5.70

-73.68%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$4.77 $4.77

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$13.22 $13.22

44.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$16.61 $16.61

-79.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$16.33 $16.33

-33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.85 $3.85

-23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.90 $1.90

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.25 $4.25

-48.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$6.15 $6.15

-65.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.26 $3.26

-55.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$3.29 $3.29

-58.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.34 $2.34

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.01 $2.01

-72.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$15.00 $15.00

-70.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$17.93 $17.93

1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.62 $2.62

-32.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$4.09 $4.09

-29.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.94 $1.94

-25.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$53.6 $53.6

2.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.07 $3.07

-50.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.16 $2.16

-63.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$42.72 $42.72

-91.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.08 $1.08

37.96%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$27.9K $27.9K

-3.55%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

-1.31%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$128 $128

-23.32%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$47.11 $47.11

-76.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$57.6 $57.6

-70.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$38.45 $38.45

77.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$13.03 $13.03

-42.98%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$2,704 $2,704

-80.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$15.3K $15.3K

22.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$54.2 $54.2

13.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$50.9 $50.9

-44.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$120 $120

-20.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$134 $134

-35.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,555 $1,555

-53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,199 $1,199

-57.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,490 $2,490

-21.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$2,160 $2,160

-35.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$3,084 $3,084

35.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,485 $2,485

32.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.01

-20.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.2K 48.9% 136% $690

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

North Brunswick, NJ

$426 17.4% 59.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

North Brunswick, NJ

$232 9.5% 83.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

North Brunswick, NJ

$162 6.6% 31.8% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

North Brunswick, NJ

$295 12% 146% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

North Brunswick, NJ

$65 2.6% 22.4% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

North Brunswick, NJ

$75 3.1% 13.8% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in North Brunswick, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $426 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

08:42 8:42 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,905

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 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 North Brunswick, NJ 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $3,680 in North Brunswick, NJ 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 $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $2,704 in North Brunswick, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $61 in North Brunswick, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in North Brunswick, NJ. 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 North Brunswick, NJ are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.