Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Toms River, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,884 in Toms River, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Toms River, NJ
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Toms River, NJ Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Toms River, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,884 in Toms River, NJ.

Phuket $1,278
Toms River, NJ $2,884

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,311 in Toms River, NJ.

Phuket $2,216
Toms River, NJ $4,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,738 in Toms River, NJ.

Phuket $3,154
Toms River, NJ $5,738

Living in Phuket costs roughly 56% less than in Toms River, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Toms River, NJ is 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.87 $19.87

-77.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$74.2 $74.2

-56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.05 $12.05

-26.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$5.53 $5.53

-48.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.57 $2.57

-66.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.86 $1.86

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.03 $5.03

-49.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.89 $6.89

-46.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.41 $1.41

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$4.61 $4.61

-68.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.42 $2.42

-38.02%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.61 $4.61

-54.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$16.29 $16.29

17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$16.95 $16.95

-80.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.81 $16.81

-35.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$5.98 $5.98

-51.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.30 $1.30

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$5.15 $5.15

-56.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.92 $5.92

-64.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.58 $1.58

-4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.74 $2.74

-49.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.53 $2.53

-57.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.94 $1.94

-73.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.84 $9.84

-57.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.09 $10.09

86.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.80 $2.80

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.42 $3.42

-16.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.99 $2.99

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.13 $2.13

-52.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$41.41 $41.41

-91.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.92 $0.92

59.78%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$30.8K $30.8K

-12.96%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

1.84%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$243 $243

-60.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$37.24 $37.24

-69.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$62.0 $62.0

-72.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$30.15 $30.15

122.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.15 $17.15

-56.27%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$3,103 $3,103

-84.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$34.4K $34.4K

-67.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$69.8 $69.8

-10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$75.8 $75.8

-62.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$120 $120

-21.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$121 $121

-29.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,617 $1,617

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,527 $1,527

-67.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,900 $2,900

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$2,766 $2,766

-48.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$5,268 $5,268

-90.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toms River, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Toms River, NJ

$1.5K 53% 211% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Toms River, NJ

$445 15.4% 67.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Toms River, NJ

$342 11.9% 175% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Toms River, NJ

$174 6% 43% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Toms River, NJ

$318 11% 161% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Toms River, NJ

$64 2.2% 21.6% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Toms River, NJ

$14 * 0.5% 80.7% $57

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 $1,617 in Toms River, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toms River, NJ pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $74 in Toms River, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $445 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

20:13 8:13 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

95,438

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Toms River, NJ 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Toms River, 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 Toms River, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 56% 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 90% 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 $1,617 in Toms River, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $3,103 in Toms River, 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 $74 in Toms River, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,884 in Toms River, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Toms River, 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 Toms River, NJ are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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