Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aiken, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,436 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,436

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,436 in Aiken, SC versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Aiken, SC $2,436
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Aiken, SC versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Aiken, SC $3,384
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,332 in Aiken, SC versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Aiken, SC $4,332
Phuket $3,154

Living in Aiken, SC is roughly 91% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aiken, SC is 79% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.28 $15.28

$4.47 ฿151

241.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 $58.8

$32.41 ฿1,094

81.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$8.81 ฿297

22.59%

Cappuccino

$3.69 $3.69

$2.83 ฿95.5

30.39%

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

$2.18 $2.18

$0.87 ฿29.43

150.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.49 ฿16.67

302.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.56 ฿86.4

128.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.53 $8.53

$3.68 ฿124

131.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.46 ฿49.35

88.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.50 ฿50.6

54.00%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$2.09 ฿70.5

71.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$19.07 ฿644

-25.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 $6.28

$3.30 ฿111

90.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$10.91 ฿368

71.49%

Apples (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$2.93 ฿99.0

197.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.69 ฿57.1

35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.25 ฿75.8

30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.08 ฿70.1

86.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.51 ฿51.0

29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.38 ฿46.56

98.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.07 ฿35.99

74.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.52 ฿17.52

294.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.20 ฿142

70.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 $13.05

$18.79 ฿634

-30.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.84 ฿95.9

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.02 ฿102

62.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.02 ฿34.36

392.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 $51.0

$3.69 ฿125

1281.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.47 ฿49.81

-50.34%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

5.73%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-0.11%

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

$222 $222

$96.4 ฿3,254

130.25%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$11.26 ฿380

488.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$16.85 ฿569

399.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 $56.6

$67.2 ฿2,270

-15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.99 $14.99

$7.50 ฿253

99.87%

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

$942 $942

$476 ฿16.1K

97.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

59.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$62.4 ฿2,106

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 $44.36

$28.41 ฿959

56.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$94.3 ฿3,184

21.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 $64.6

$85.8 ฿2,898

-24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$716 ฿24.2K

86.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 $1,191

$491 ฿16.6K

142.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 $1,759

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-8.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 $1,706

$1,431 ฿48.3K

19.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,694 $1,694

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-59.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 $1,359

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-55.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Aiken, SC: 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

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 58.8% $700

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aiken, SC

$372 15.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.6% $248

Groceries & Markets

Aiken, SC

$365 15%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.1% $99

Eating Out

Aiken, SC

$262 10.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Aiken, SC

$130 5.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Aiken, SC

$87 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5% $4.3

Getting Around

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 135% $41

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 $1,337 in Aiken, SC and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59 in Aiken, SC vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

11 h ahead of Aiken, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,829

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Aiken, SC Phuket 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Aiken, SC
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

Aiken, SC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,654 in Aiken, SC and $1,917 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: $1,337 in Aiken, SC versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $942 in Aiken, SC versus $476 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 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,436 in Aiken, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Aiken, SC. 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.

Safety-wise, Aiken, SC and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.