Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
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Queens, NY Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Queens, NY and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Queens, NY and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,339 in Queens, NY versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Queens, NY $3,339
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,831 in Queens, NY versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Queens, NY $4,831
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,323 in Queens, NY versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Queens, NY $6,323
Phuket $2,845

Living in Queens, NY is roughly 176% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Queens, NY is 146% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$4.40 ฿147

335.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

148.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$8.76 ฿293

48.86%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$2.83 ฿94.5

118.37%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$0.90 ฿30.14

181.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 ฿15.56

217.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$2.55 ฿85.2

262.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.83 ฿128

80.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.73 ฿57.7

-26.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.47 ฿49.11

196.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.51 ฿50.6

298.68%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$2.17 ฿72.7

217.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$19.70 ฿658

-30.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$3.34 ฿112

208.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$11.16 ฿373

74.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.85 ฿95.1

110.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.70 ฿56.9

105.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.19 ฿73.3

100.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.05 ฿68.4

154.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.45 ฿48.57

108.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.38 ฿46.16

121.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.07 ฿35.69

190.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$0.51 ฿16.91

505.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$4.26 ฿142

243.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$18.58 ฿621

-20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.78 ฿59.7

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.85 ฿95.2

23.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.26 ฿75.6

30.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$22.10 ฿738

490.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.01 ฿101

-1.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.06 ฿35.34

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$3.86 ฿129

974.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.83%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

5.79%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.22%

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

$175 $175

$96.4 ฿3,221

81.38%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$11.04 ฿369

351.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$17.14 ฿573

195.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$52.2 ฿1,744

-12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$11.16 ฿373

505.91%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$7.81 ฿261

161.59%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$556 ฿18.6K

256.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

40.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$28.69 ฿959

182.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$95.4 ฿3,187

-10.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.0 ฿2,940

17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$737 ฿24.6K

208.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$462 ฿15.5K

304.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$2,095 ฿70.0K

179.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,201 ฿40.1K

146.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$3,488 ฿116.6K

151.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$2,523 ฿84.3K

143.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$501 ฿16.7K

623.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

5.57

22.08%

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

Last update for Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 75.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 42.2% $196

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 64.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 54.8% $151

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 74.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 21.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,272 in Queens, NY and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 624% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Queens, NY vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

11 h ahead of Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

THB to USD in detail →

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Queens, NY Phuket 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Queens, NY
Phuket

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

Queens, NY vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 176% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 624% higher in Queens, NY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,272 in Queens, NY versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,979 in Queens, NY versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Queens, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,339 in Queens, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Queens, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Queens, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Queens, NY and Phuket 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 176% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.