Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Staten Island, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,006 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Staten Island, NY

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 Staten Island, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,006 in Staten Island, NY.

Phuket $1,278
Staten Island, NY $3,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,490 in Staten Island, NY.

Phuket $2,216
Staten Island, NY $4,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,974 in Staten Island, NY.

Phuket $3,154
Staten Island, NY $5,974

Living in Phuket costs roughly 57% less than in Staten Island, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Staten Island, NY is 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$23.28 $23.28

-80.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$89.1 $89.1

-63.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.60 $13.60

-35.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.74 $6.74

-58.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.58 $2.58

-66.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.65 $1.65

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$8.04 $8.04

-68.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.98 $7.98

-53.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.24 $1.24

33.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$4.94 $4.94

-70.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$6.42 $6.42

-76.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.96 $5.96

-64.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.57 $17.57

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.89 $13.89

-76.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.69 $19.69

-44.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$6.52 $6.52

-55.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.55 $3.55

-52.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$6.70 $6.70

-66.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$7.03 $7.03

-70.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.35 $4.35

-65.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$4.38 $4.38

-68.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.92 $2.92

-63.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.81 $2.81

-81.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.04 $19.04

-77.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.77 $14.77

27.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.82 $1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.52 $3.52

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$2.94 $2.94

-50.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.93 $2.93

3.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$2.16 $2.16

-52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$42.42 $42.42

-91.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.15 $1.15

27.83%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$34.0K $34.0K

-21.23%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

0.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$224 $224

-56.94%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$74.3 $74.3

-84.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$64.4 $64.4

-73.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$116 $116

-41.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$20.64 $20.64

-63.66%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,994 $1,994

-76.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$16.3K $16.3K

-30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$72.3 $72.3

-13.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.91 $37.91

-25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$105 $105

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$107 $107

-19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,855 $1,855

-61.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,414 $1,414

-65.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,364 $3,364

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,420 $2,420

-40.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$6,788 $6,788

-92.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.8

-18.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Staten Island, NY: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47% 188% $923

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Staten Island, NY

$521 17.3% 95.8% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Staten Island, NY

$362 12.1% 191% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Staten Island, NY

$145 4.8% 19% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Staten Island, NY

$381 12.7% 213% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Staten Island, NY

$157 5.2% 90.7% $75

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Staten Island, NY

$25 * 0.9% 63.9% $45

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,855 in Staten Island, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Staten Island, NY pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $89 in Staten Island, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $521 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

495,747

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Staten Island, NY 14,570 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Staten Island, NY

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 Staten Island, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 93% 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 $1,855 in Staten Island, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,994 in Staten Island, NY. 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 $89 in Staten Island, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,006 in Staten Island, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Staten Island, NY. 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 Staten Island, NY are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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