Cost of Living Comparison Between Shelby, NC and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Shelby, NC and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Shelby, NC is 45.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 53.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shelby, NC is 30.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.05 $14.05
$4.65 ฿148
202.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 $35.04
$46.11 ฿1,470
-24.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 $9.47
$8.74 ฿279
8.35%
Cappuccino
$3.85 $3.85
$3.04 ฿96.9
26.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 $1.48
$0.72 ฿22.96
105.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 $1.27
$0.39 ฿12.47
225.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.44 ฿77.8
4.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 $3.02
$3.79 ฿121
-20.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$2.14 ฿68.4
-62.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 $2.62
$1.86 ฿59.3
40.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.60 $3.60
$2.19 ฿69.7
64.38%
Eggs
$4.24 $4.24
$2.25 ฿71.6
88.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.44 $9.44
$19.73 ฿629
-52.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.87 $12.87
$3.79 ฿121
239.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.34 $22.34
$13.55 ฿432
64.87%
Apples (1kg)
$5.08 $5.08
$3.25 ฿104
56.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 $1.81
$1.67 ฿53.3
8.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.03 $5.03
$2.39 ฿76.3
110.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.09 ฿66.7
48.80%
Potato (1kg)
$3.35 $3.35
$1.53 ฿48.74
118.95%
Onion (1kg)
$4.67 $4.67
$1.51 ฿48.13
209.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.99 ฿31.53
95.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 $1.81
$0.51 ฿16.41
254.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.41 $8.41
$4.27 ฿136
96.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.79 $14.79
$20.31 ฿647
-27.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.79 ฿57.1
7.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 $2.62
$2.77 ฿88.2
-5.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 $1.98
$1.40 ฿44.77
41.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿373
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.11 ฿99.1
-34.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.32 $2.32
$0.99 ฿31.71
134.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.19 $18.19
$13.73 ฿438
32.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.76 $0.76
$1.32 ฿42.05
-42.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K $24.0K
$27.2K ฿868.3K
-11.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K $21.7K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-36.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$224 $224
$120 ฿3,838
86.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.65 $35.65
$13.93 ฿444
155.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.59 $49.59
$18.31 ฿584
170.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.45 $42.45
$60.9 ฿1,942
-30.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.23 ฿549
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.09 $15.09
$8.71 ฿278
73.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$302 $302
$698 ฿22.2K
-56.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K $22.3K
$15.7K ฿501.6K
41.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 $49.37
$57.6 ฿1,838
-14.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.90 $34.90
$34.24 ฿1,092
1.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.7 $70.7
$113 ฿3,608
-37.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.0 $80.0
$84.8 ฿2,704
-5.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,605 $1,605
$604 ฿19.3K
165.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$809 $809
$436 ฿13.9K
85.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,673 $2,673
$2,057 ฿65.6K
29.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 $1,158
$1,498 ฿47.8K
-22.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,075 $3,075
$4,252 ฿135.6K
-27.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,623 $2,623
$2,988 ฿95.3K
-12.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shelby, NC
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,519 $2,519
$529 ฿16.9K
376.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.38
5.33
19.70%

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

Last update for Shelby, NC: March 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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