Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, DE and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,557 in Wilmington, DE, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, DE
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Wilmington, DE Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Wilmington, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,557

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Wilmington, DE versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Wilmington, DE $2,557
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,433 in Wilmington, DE versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Wilmington, DE $3,433
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,309 in Wilmington, DE versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Wilmington, DE $4,309
Phuket $3,115

Living in Wilmington, DE is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wilmington, DE is 89% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$4.39 ฿147

356.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$32.31 ฿1,078

131.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 $10.30

$8.70 ฿290

18.39%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$2.72 ฿90.9

81.99%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$0.93 ฿31.06

135.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

$0.50 ฿16.67

162.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.53 ฿84.5

60.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.63 ฿121

68.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.74 ฿58.1

-35.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.45 ฿48.42

111.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.50 ฿50.1

84.00%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.17 ฿72.5

41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$19.09 ฿637

-51.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 $8.50

$3.40 ฿113

150.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$10.90 ฿364

33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.94 ฿98.2

57.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.69 ฿56.5

-21.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.19 ฿73.2

102.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.12 ฿70.9

80.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.46 ฿48.68

73.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.37 ฿45.66

79.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.08 ฿35.91

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.55 ฿18.21

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 $9.92

$4.43 ฿148

123.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$18.25 ฿609

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.77 ฿59.2

36.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.88 ฿96.2

28.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.45 ฿48.32

41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.2 $60.2

$54.9 ฿1,832

9.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.51 ฿50.5

157.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.78 ฿25.90

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.47 $27.47

$3.84 ฿128

615.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.49 ฿49.65

-28.86%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

1.48%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-2.69%

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

$270 $270

$97.8 ฿3,265

175.97%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$11.29 ฿377

349.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$17.19 ฿574

247.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.69 $24.69

$68.3 ฿2,281

-63.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.92 ฿365

39.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$7.43 ฿248

59.76%

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

$1,605 $1,605

$530 ฿17.7K

202.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

36.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.92 $36.92

$61.7 ฿2,059

-40.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 $47.59

$28.25 ฿943

68.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$96.0 ฿3,204

-12.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 $90.8

$86.8 ฿2,898

4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 $1,729

$721 ฿24.1K

139.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$509 ฿17.0K

157.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 $2,728

$1,950 ฿65.1K

39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,397 ฿46.6K

15.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-47.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,081 $2,081

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-36.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,946 $3,946

$492 ฿16.4K

702.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

5.57

13.11%

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

Last update for Wilmington, DE: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, DE

$1.3K 51.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 61.1% $799

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, DE

$380 14.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 66.8% $254

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, DE

$325 12.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 18% $59

Eating Out

Wilmington, DE

$297 11.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.8% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, DE

$117 4.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 5.2% $6

Getting Around

Wilmington, DE

$80 3.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 17.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, DE

$48 1.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 71.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,729 in Wilmington, DE and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, DE pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Wilmington, DE vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, DE

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

12 h ahead of Wilmington, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wilmington, DE Phuket 14,680 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, DE
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

Wilmington, DE vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Wilmington, DE is about 8 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: $1,729 in Wilmington, DE versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,605 in Wilmington, DE versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Wilmington, DE. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,557 in Wilmington, DE, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wilmington, DE. 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 Wilmington, DE, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Wilmington, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.