Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset, NJ and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $31,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

189

Cost of Living Index in Somerset, NJ
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Somerset, NJ Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Somerset, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,865

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,865 in Somerset, NJ versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Somerset, NJ $3,865
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Somerset, NJ versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Somerset, NJ $4,297
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,728 in Somerset, NJ versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Somerset, NJ $4,728
Phuket $2,867

Living in Somerset, NJ is roughly 220% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Somerset, NJ is 186% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$4.58 ฿153

298.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.28 $39.28

$32.48 ฿1,086

20.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 $8.16

$8.55 ฿286

-4.56%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.72 ฿91.0

79.78%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$0.94 ฿31.25

108.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.49 ฿16.39

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$2.59 ฿86.6

202.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.83 ฿128

86.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

-24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.43 ฿47.82

206.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.53 ฿51.0

300.00%

Eggs

$2.02 $2.02

$2.17 ฿72.7

-6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$19.15 ฿640

-30.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$3.30 ฿110

208.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.45 $19.45

$11.14 ฿372

74.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.95 ฿98.5

105.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.68 ฿56.1

107.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.30 ฿76.8

87.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.13 ฿71.3

154.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.53 ฿51.1

98.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.36 ฿45.55

123.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.12 ฿37.44

116.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.55 ฿18.24

440.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.39 $17.39

$4.26 ฿142

308.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$18.19 ฿608

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.74 ฿58.2

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.79 ฿93.3

26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.22 ฿74.1

-12.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.91 ฿97.3

1.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.01 ฿33.79

120.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.34 $41.34

$3.83 ฿128

979.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.49 ฿49.85

-26.17%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

34.88%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-5.33%

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

$173 $173

$99.4 ฿3,321

74.17%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$11.28 ฿377

343.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.14 $49.14

$17.36 ฿580

183.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.91 $40.91

$52.3 ฿1,747

-21.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$20.32 $20.32

$7.57 ฿253

168.43%

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

$2,016 $2,016

$558 ฿18.7K

261.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

41.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$62.9 ฿2,102

-20.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 $40.93

$28.58 ฿955

43.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$96.1 ฿3,213

-11.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.1 ฿2,943

17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$729 ฿24.4K

119.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,626 $2,626

$460 ฿15.4K

470.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

$2,096 ฿70.0K

20.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

$1,222 ฿40.8K

72.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,767 $2,767

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-20.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 $2,399

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-3.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 Somerset, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset, NJ

$2.6K 67.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 82.5% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Somerset, NJ

$441 11.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 39.4% $174

Eating Out

Somerset, NJ

$296 7.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.1% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset, NJ

$272 7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 53% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset, NJ

$126 3.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.6% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset, NJ

$82 2.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Somerset, NJ

$22 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 77.8% $17

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 $1,599 in Somerset, NJ and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Somerset, NJ vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $441 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerset, NJ

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

13:50 1:50 PM

11 h ahead of Somerset, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,924

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Somerset, NJ Phuket 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset, NJ
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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

Somerset, NJ vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 220% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,798 in Somerset, NJ and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,599 in Somerset, NJ versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,016 in Somerset, NJ versus $558 in Phuket. 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 $32.00 versus $39.00 in Somerset, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Somerset, NJ. 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 Somerset, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Somerset, NJ 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 220% less than in Somerset, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.