Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,876 in Wilmington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,876 in Wilmington, NC versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Wilmington, NC $2,876
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,129 in Wilmington, NC versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Wilmington, NC $4,129
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,382 in Wilmington, NC versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Wilmington, NC $5,382
Phuket $3,154

Living in Wilmington, NC is roughly 125% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wilmington, NC is 111% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$4.47 ฿151

237.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$32.41 ฿1,094

147.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$8.81 ฿297

22.59%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.83 ฿95.5

96.11%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$0.87 ฿29.43

190.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.49 ฿16.67

381.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.56 ฿86.4

100.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.68 ฿124

88.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.46 ฿49.35

174.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$1.50 ฿50.6

289.33%

Eggs

$5.34 $5.34

$2.09 ฿70.5

155.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$19.07 ฿644

-40.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$3.30 ฿111

336.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 $25.47

$10.91 ฿368

133.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$2.93 ฿99.0

117.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.69 ฿57.1

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.25 ฿75.8

207.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.08 ฿70.1

197.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.51 ฿51.0

170.86%

Onion (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$1.38 ฿46.56

330.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.07 ฿35.99

124.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.52 ฿17.52

503.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$4.20 ฿142

105.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 $14.70

$18.79 ฿634

-21.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.84 ฿95.9

111.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.45 ฿49.03

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 $79.4

$56.7 ฿1,913

40.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.02 ฿102

132.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.02 ฿34.36

85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 ฿49.81

-29.93%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

1.18%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.48%

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

$286 $286

$96.4 ฿3,254

197.27%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$11.26 ฿380

395.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$16.85 ฿569

352.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$67.2 ฿2,270

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.08 $4.08

$10.73 ฿362

-61.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$7.50 ฿253

98.53%

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

$1,339 $1,339

$476 ฿16.1K

181.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 $70.9

$62.4 ฿2,106

13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.96 $41.96

$28.41 ฿959

47.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$94.3 ฿3,184

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 $68.8

$85.8 ฿2,898

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 $1,640

$716 ฿24.2K

129.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$491 ฿16.6K

177.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 $2,819

$1,927 ฿65.1K

46.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,431 ฿48.3K

47.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,291 $3,291

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-21.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,529 $2,529

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-16.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,936 $3,936

$502 ฿17.0K

683.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, NC

$1.4K 47.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.9% $870

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$501 17.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 46.9% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$418 14.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 70.2% $294

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$279 9.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$127 4.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$104 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 32.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$86 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 4.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in Wilmington, NC and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, NC pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Wilmington, NC vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $501 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

05:57 5:57 AM

11 h ahead of Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

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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Wilmington, NC Phuket 15,320 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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

Phuket is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Wilmington, NC is about 7.8 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: $1,640 in Wilmington, NC versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,339 in Wilmington, NC 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 88% higher in Wilmington, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,876 in Wilmington, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wilmington, NC. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Wilmington, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.