Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Parkville, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,529 in Parkville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Parkville, MD, United States
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Parkville, MD
🇺🇸 United States
$2,529
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Parkville, 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 Parkville, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,529 in Parkville, MD, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Parkville, MD $2,529

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,998 in Parkville, MD, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Parkville, MD $3,998

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,468 in Parkville, MD, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Parkville, MD $5,468

Phuket is about 49% cheaper than Parkville, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Parkville, MD is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$17.93 $17.93
-75.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$97.4 $97.4
-66.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$10.52 $10.52
-16.25%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$5.13 $5.13
-44.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$2.97 $2.97
-70.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$2.68 $2.68
-81.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$7.21 $7.21
-64.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$7.93 $7.93
-53.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.21 $1.21
37.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$4.27 $4.27
-65.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$3.81 $3.81
-60.63%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$4.52 $4.52
-53.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$16.95 $16.95
12.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$15.35 $15.35
-78.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$18.79 $18.79
-41.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$5.89 $5.89
-50.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.58 $1.58
6.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$4.12 $4.12
-45.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$4.26 $4.26
-51.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$2.21 $2.21
-31.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$2.65 $2.65
-47.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$2.35 $2.35
-54.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$2.25 $2.25
-76.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$13.25 $13.25
-68.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$15.52 $15.52
21.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.76 $1.76
3.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$3.25 $3.25
-12.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$2.21 $2.21
-34.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$60.6 $60.6
-6.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.83 $1.83
65.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$1.34 $1.34
-23.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$24.19 $24.19
-84.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$1.07 $1.07
37.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$23.1K $23.1K
15.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$23.7K $23.7K
12.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$203 $203
-52.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$39.74 $39.74
-71.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$79.2 $79.2
-78.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$43.21 $43.21
55.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$14.76 $14.76
-49.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$1,944 $1,944
-75.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$35.3K $35.3K
-68.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$52.2 $52.2
19.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$56.3 $56.3
-49.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$91.7 $91.7
2.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$113 $113
-23.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$1,487 $1,487
-51.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$1,161 $1,161
-57.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$2,749 $2,749
-29.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$2,355 $2,355
-39.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$2,462 $2,462
69.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$2,633 $2,633
15.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Parkville, MD
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.72
-17.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Parkville, MD: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Parkville, MD
$1.2K 137% $670
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Parkville, MD
$444 66.6% $177
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Parkville, MD
$322 159% $198
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Parkville, MD
$141 15.5% $19
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Parkville, MD
$311 156% $189
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Parkville, MD
$73 11.6% $9.5
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Parkville, MD
$78 10.5% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,487 in Parkville, MD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $97 in Parkville, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $444 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇺🇸 Parkville, MD
🕒 Local time
09:51 9:51 AM
22:51 10:51 PM
11 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
30,734
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Parkville, MD 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Parkville, 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 Parkville, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Parkville, MD?
Parkville, MD costs about 98% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Parkville, MD?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,794 in Parkville, MD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Parkville, MD?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,487 in Parkville, MD.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Parkville, MD?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $97 in Parkville, MD. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Parkville, MD?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,529 in Parkville, MD. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Parkville, MD?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Parkville, MD at $2,529. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Parkville, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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