Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taunton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,317 in Taunton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Taunton, MA
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Taunton, MA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Taunton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taunton, MA

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 Taunton, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,317 in Taunton, MA.

Phuket $1,294
Taunton, MA $3,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,935 in Taunton, MA.

Phuket $2,204
Taunton, MA $4,935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $6,553 in Taunton, MA.

Phuket $3,115
Taunton, MA $6,553

Living in Phuket costs roughly 61% less than in Taunton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Taunton, MA is 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$20.28 $20.28

-78.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$109 $109

-70.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$12.64 $12.64

-31.17%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$5.11 $5.11

-46.77%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$3.01 $3.01

-69.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$2.77 $2.77

-81.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$7.91 $7.91

-68.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$8.14 $8.14

-55.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.18 $1.18

47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$3.95 $3.95

-63.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$5.27 $5.27

-71.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$4.86 $4.86

-55.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$15.48 $15.48

23.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$13.97 $13.97

-75.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$19.55 $19.55

-44.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$6.68 $6.68

-55.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.78 $1.78

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$5.40 $5.40

-59.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$6.15 $6.15

-65.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$4.37 $4.37

-66.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$3.98 $3.98

-65.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$2.30 $2.30

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.79 $1.79

-69.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$13.18 $13.18

-66.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$15.55 $15.55

17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$2.24 $2.24

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$3.87 $3.87

-25.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.52 $1.52

-4.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$39.93 $39.93

37.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.08 $4.08

-62.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.88 $1.88

-58.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$27.58 $27.58

-86.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.03 $1.03

44.66%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

-1.24%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-1.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$279 $279

-64.98%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$58.8 $58.8

-80.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$86.7 $86.7

-80.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$33.02 $33.02

106.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$14.64 $14.64

-49.25%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$1,812 $1,812

-70.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$44.8K $44.8K

-58.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$57.8 $57.8

6.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$38.41 $38.41

-26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$80.6 $80.6

19.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$102 $102

-14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,603 $1,603

-55.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,840 $1,840

-72.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$2,714 $2,714

-28.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$3,241 $3,241

-56.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$3,045 $3,045

37.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$3,502 $3,502

-5.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$4,130 $4,130

-88.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.64

-16.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taunton, MA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Taunton, MA

$1.8K 55.5% 262% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Taunton, MA

$465 14% 74.2% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Taunton, MA

$425 12.8% 236% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Taunton, MA

$125 3.8% 2.2% $2.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Taunton, MA

$340 10.3% 185% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Taunton, MA

$62 1.9% 25.1% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Taunton, MA

$59 1.8% 10% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,603 in Taunton, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taunton, MA pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $109 in Taunton, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $465 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Taunton, MA

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

21:25 9:25 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

56,074

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Taunton, MA 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taunton, MA

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 Taunton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 61% 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 88% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,603 in Taunton, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,812 in Taunton, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Taunton, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,317 in Taunton, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taunton, MA. 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, Taunton, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.