Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suffolk, VA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,204 in Suffolk, VA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Suffolk, VA
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Suffolk, VA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Suffolk, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,204

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,204 in Suffolk, VA versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Suffolk, VA $2,204
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,210 in Suffolk, VA versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Suffolk, VA $3,210
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Suffolk, VA versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Suffolk, VA $4,215
Phuket $2,845

Living in Suffolk, VA is roughly 82% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Suffolk, VA is 63% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$4.40 ฿147

352.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

148.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 $11.96

$8.76 ฿293

36.53%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$2.83 ฿94.5

58.30%

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

$2.06 $2.06

$0.90 ฿30.14

128.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.47 ฿15.56

314.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.55 ฿85.2

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.83 ฿128

34.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.73 ฿57.7

-38.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.47 ฿49.11

57.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.51 ฿50.6

68.87%

Eggs

$3.87 $3.87

$2.17 ฿72.7

78.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.37 $16.37

$19.70 ฿658

-16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.34 ฿112

61.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$11.16 ฿373

59.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.85 ฿95.1

42.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.70 ฿56.9

-35.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.19 ฿73.3

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.05 ฿68.4

112.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.45 ฿48.57

83.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.38 ฿46.16

53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.07 ฿35.69

55.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.51 ฿16.91

503.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 $9.44

$4.26 ฿142

121.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$18.58 ฿621

-20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.85 ฿95.2

29.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.01 ฿101

35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.06 ฿35.34

87.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$3.86 ฿129

556.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.45 ฿48.45

-38.62%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

16.55%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-5.34%

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

$150 $150

$96.4 ฿3,221

55.81%

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

$53.8 $53.8

$11.04 ฿369

387.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 $79.5

$17.14 ฿573

363.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 $15.15

$7.81 ฿261

93.98%

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

$886 $886

$556 ฿18.6K

59.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.14 $47.14

$64.2 ฿2,146

-26.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.88 $47.88

$28.69 ฿959

66.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$95.4 ฿3,187

6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$88.0 ฿2,940

50.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 $1,206

$737 ฿24.6K

63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$462 ฿15.5K

134.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,054 $2,054

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-1.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 $1,667

$1,201 ฿40.1K

38.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,706 $4,706

$501 ฿16.7K

839.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

5.57

1.97%

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

Last update for Suffolk, VA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suffolk, VA

$1.1K 49.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 57.4% $623

Groceries & Markets

Suffolk, VA

$347 15.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 22.7% $79

Eating Out

Suffolk, VA

$296 13.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 59% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suffolk, VA

$283 12.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 56% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Suffolk, VA

$148 6.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Suffolk, VA

$30 * 1.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 124% $37

Getting Around

Suffolk, VA

$14 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 181% $25

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 $1,206 in Suffolk, VA and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suffolk, VA pays 840% 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 Suffolk, VA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Suffolk, VA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

11 h ahead of Suffolk, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,324

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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Suffolk, VA Phuket 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Suffolk, VA
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

Suffolk, VA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 840% higher in Suffolk, VA, 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: $1,206 in Suffolk, VA versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $886 in Suffolk, VA versus $556 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 $80.0 in Suffolk, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,204 in Suffolk, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Suffolk, VA. 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 Suffolk, VA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Suffolk, VA 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 82% less than in Suffolk, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.