Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,639
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,597
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Brookings, SD vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,556
Phuket $3,115

Brookings, SD costs about 104% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Brookings, SD sits 95% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$4.39 ฿147

295.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$32.31 ฿1,078

21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$8.70 ฿290

32.41%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$2.72 ฿90.9

66.18%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$0.93 ฿31.06

164.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.50 ฿16.67

302.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.53 ฿84.5

131.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.63 ฿121

87.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.74 ฿58.1

-48.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.45 ฿48.42

153.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.50 ฿50.1

329.33%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.17 ฿72.5

62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$19.09 ฿637

-45.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$3.40 ฿113

301.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$10.90 ฿364

19.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.94 ฿98.2

94.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.69 ฿56.5

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.19 ฿73.2

201.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.12 ฿70.9

139.15%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.46 ฿48.68

205.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.37 ฿45.66

211.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.08 ฿35.91

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.55 ฿18.21

269.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$4.43 ฿148

189.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$18.25 ฿609

-33.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.77 ฿59.2

63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.88 ฿96.2

101.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.51 ฿50.5

224.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.78 ฿25.90

114.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$3.84 ฿128

518.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.49 ฿49.65

-30.20%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

9.98%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-1.71%

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

$184 $184

$97.8 ฿3,265

88.53%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$11.29 ฿377

407.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$17.19 ฿574

303.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$7.43 ฿248

61.91%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$530 ฿17.7K

148.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

95.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$61.7 ฿2,059

-31.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$28.25 ฿943

23.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$96.0 ฿3,204

-7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$86.8 ฿2,898

20.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$721 ฿24.1K

137.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$509 ฿17.0K

186.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,950 ฿65.1K

5.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,397 ฿46.6K

50.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-44.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-28.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.57

-1.26%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: 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

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 65.1% $951

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 36.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 59.4% $185

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 58.6% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 246% $59

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 399% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Brookings, SD versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $421 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

05:49 5:49 AM

13 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 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

Brookings, SD Phuket 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 104% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Brookings, SD and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Brookings, SD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Brookings, SD at $2,639. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.