Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Charleston, SC is 66.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 138% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Charleston, SC is 64.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 68.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.95 $17.95
$4.68 ฿151
283.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.7 $79.7
$46.4 ฿1,502
71.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.9 $9.9
$8.65 ฿280
14.45%
Cappuccino
$5.04 $5.04
$3.09 ฿100
63.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$0.73 ฿23.53
231.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.37 ฿11.95
427.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.9 $5.9
$2.39 ฿77.4
146.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$3.62 ฿117
119.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1 $1
$2.24 ฿72.5
-55.36%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$1.8 ฿58.2
108.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.22 $3.22
$2.24 ฿72.3
43.75%
Eggs
$4.45 $4.45
$2.23 ฿72.1
99.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.9 $13.9
$19.31 ฿625
-28.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.05 $15.05
$3.77 ฿122
299.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 $17.03
$13.05 ฿422
30.50%
Apples (1kg)
$5.79 $5.79
$3.28 ฿106
76.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.63 ฿52.6
1.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.68 $6.68
$2.4 ฿77.7
178.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 $4.02
$1.99 ฿64.3
102.01%
Potato (1kg)
$3.67 $3.67
$1.53 ฿49.62
139.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$1.49 ฿48.11
85.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.02 ฿32.87
74.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 $1.87
$0.48 ฿15.61
289.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.62 $7.62
$4.32 ฿140
76.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.74 $17.74
$21.68 ฿702
-18.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.77 ฿57.3
0.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$2.79 ฿90.4
19.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.35 ฿43.74
45.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.3 $57.3
$11.76 ฿380
387.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 $2.91
$3.15 ฿102
-7.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$1 ฿32.3
53.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.37 $20.37
$13.64 ฿442
49.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.84 $0.84
$1.3 ฿42.2
-35.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K $32.7K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
19.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-27.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 $141
$123 ฿3,970
14.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.8 $54.8
$13.93 ฿451
293.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.4 $73.4
$18.24 ฿590
302.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.53 $29.53
$60.8 ฿1,966
-51.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.1 $18.1
$17.11 ฿554
5.79%
Cinema Ticket
$13.29 $13.29
$9.07 ฿294
46.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,313 $1,313
$694 ฿22.5K
89.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.2K $24.2K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
52.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.68 $49.68
$57.5 ฿1,861
-13.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.64 $36.64
$34.51 ฿1,117
6.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 $94.6
$115 ฿3,727
-17.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 $153
$84.8 ฿2,743
80.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,577 $2,577
$611 ฿19.8K
321.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,687 $1,687
$442 ฿14.3K
281.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,414 $4,414
$2,014 ฿65.2K
119.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,638 $2,638
$1,460 ฿47.2K
80.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,656 $4,656
$4,244 ฿137.3K
9.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,200 $3,200
$2,886 ฿93.4K
10.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,603 $4,603
$697 ฿22.5K
560.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
5.33
22.14%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: October 27, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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