Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springfield, MA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,093 in Springfield, MA, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, MA
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Springfield, MA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Springfield, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,093

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,093 in Springfield, MA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Springfield, MA $3,093
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,347 in Springfield, MA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Springfield, MA $4,347
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,600 in Springfield, MA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Springfield, MA $5,600
Phuket $3,154

Living in Springfield, MA is roughly 142% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Springfield, MA is 127% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.85 $22.85

$4.47 ฿151

411.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 $83.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

156.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.28 $14.28

$8.81 ฿297

62.09%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$2.83 ฿95.5

127.56%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$0.87 ฿29.43

211.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.49 ฿16.67

318.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.56 ฿86.4

141.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.22 $9.22

$3.68 ฿124

150.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.66 ฿56.0

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.46 ฿49.35

85.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.50 ฿50.6

50.67%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.09 ฿70.5

68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$19.07 ฿644

-13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.78 $10.78

$3.30 ฿111

226.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 $18.55

$10.91 ฿368

70.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.93 ฿99.0

66.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.69 ฿57.1

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

148.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.08 ฿70.1

121.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.51 ฿51.0

108.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.38 ฿46.56

167.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.07 ฿35.99

109.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.52 ฿17.52

280.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 $13.77

$4.20 ฿142

227.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 $14.23

$18.79 ฿634

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.84 ฿95.9

35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 ฿49.03

36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 $54.2

$56.7 ฿1,913

-4.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.02 ฿102

67.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.02 ฿34.36

37.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.86 $29.86

$3.69 ฿125

709.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 ฿49.81

-35.37%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

2.36%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-2.79%

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

$210 $210

$96.4 ฿3,254

117.72%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$11.26 ฿380

512.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$16.85 ฿569

333.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.21 $28.21

$67.2 ฿2,270

-58.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.78 $18.78

$10.73 ฿362

75.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$7.50 ฿253

97.60%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$476 ฿16.1K

218.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

52.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$62.4 ฿2,106

-18.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.37 $39.37

$28.41 ฿959

38.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$94.3 ฿3,184

20.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$85.8 ฿2,898

26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$716 ฿24.2K

151.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 $1,705

$491 ฿16.6K

247.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 $2,427

$1,927 ฿65.1K

25.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,501 $2,501

$1,431 ฿48.3K

74.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,499 $2,499

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-40.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,570 $2,570

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-15.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,892 $3,892

$502 ฿17.0K

674.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

5.57

12.75%

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

Last update for Springfield, MA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springfield, MA

$1.7K 55.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 71.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Springfield, MA

$392 12.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 32.1% $126

Eating Out

Springfield, MA

$371 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 67.2% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springfield, MA

$352 11.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.6% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Springfield, MA

$141 4.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.3% $19

Getting Around

Springfield, MA

$74 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 4.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Springfield, MA

$58 1.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 42.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,799 in Springfield, MA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Springfield, MA pays about 7.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Springfield, MA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springfield, MA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

05:03 5:03 AM

11 h ahead of Springfield, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,482

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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

From you

Springfield, MA
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

Springfield, MA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Springfield, MA is about 7.7 times higher, 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: $1,799 in Springfield, MA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,516 in Springfield, MA versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Springfield, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,093 in Springfield, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Springfield, 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, Springfield, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.