Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and North East, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,506 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
124

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
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North East, MD Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in North East, MD

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 East, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,506 in North East, MD.

Phuket $1,208
North East, MD $2,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,589 in North East, MD.

Phuket $2,027
North East, MD $3,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,672 in North East, MD.

Phuket $2,845
North East, MD $4,672

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in North East, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, North East, MD is 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$15.08 $15.08

-70.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$74.6 $74.6

-56.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.23 $10.23

-14.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.24 $5.24

-45.99%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.33 $2.33

-61.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.75 $1.75

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.90 $6.90

-63.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.47 $4.47

-14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.17 $1.17

47.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.94 $2.94

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.68 $2.68

-43.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.82 $3.82

-43.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.38 $9.38

110.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.59 $9.59

-65.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.48 $18.48

-39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.64 $4.64

-38.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.32 $1.32

28.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.34 $4.34

-49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.00 $4.00

-48.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.56 $2.56

-43.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.47 $2.47

-44.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.55 $2.55

-58.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.79 $1.79

-71.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.99 $13.99

-69.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$14.44 $14.44

28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.43 $2.43

-26.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.64 $3.64

-21.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.26 $2.26

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.03 $5.03

-40.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.12 $1.12

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$23.07 $23.07

-83.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.05 $1.05

38.10%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$33.3K $33.3K

-20.82%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.4K $25.4K

5.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$294 $294

-67.20%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$49.39 $49.39

-77.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$60.8 $60.8

-71.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$38.46 $38.46

35.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$16.64 $16.64

-53.06%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,948 $1,948

-71.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$27.8K $27.8K

-58.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$46.28 $46.28

38.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$39.54 $39.54

-27.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$86.4 $86.4

10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$132 $132

-33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,767 $1,767

-58.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,241 $1,241

-62.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,682 $2,682

-21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,984 $1,984

-39.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,643 $2,643

31.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,189 $2,189

15.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.46

-13.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for North East, MD: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

North East, MD

$1.2K 49.5% 168% $778

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

North East, MD

$360 14.4% 33.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

North East, MD

$404 16.1% 224% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

North East, MD

$137 5.5% 10% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

North East, MD

$274 10.9% 126% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

North East, MD

$72 2.9% 5.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

North East, MD

$20 * 0.8% 50.2% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,767 in North East, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $75.0 in North East, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $360 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,600

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket North East, MD 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
North East, MD

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 East, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in North East, MD. 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 $1,813 in Phuket and $3,760 in North East, MD 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,767 in North East, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in North East, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $2,506 in North East, MD – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,506 in North East, MD, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in North East, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and North East, MD 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 107% less than in North East, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.