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

😐 Solo nomad: Charleston, SC is 70.4% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 131.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Charleston, SC is 63.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 70.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.68 $17.68
$4.65 ฿147
280.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 $79.3
$46.11 ฿1,460
71.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.90 $9.90
$8.74 ฿277
13.27%
Cappuccino
$4.89 $4.89
$3.04 ฿96.2
60.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.72 ฿22.80
247.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 $1.90
$0.39 ฿12.38
387.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.98 $5.98
$2.44 ฿77.2
145.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.83 $7.83
$3.79 ฿120
106.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$2.14 ฿67.9
-55.61%
White Bread (500g)
$3.73 $3.73
$1.86 ฿58.9
100.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 $3.12
$2.19 ฿69.2
42.47%
Eggs
$4.47 $4.47
$2.25 ฿71.1
98.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.16 $14.16
$19.73 ฿625
-28.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.71 $14.71
$3.79 ฿120
288.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.12 $17.12
$13.55 ฿429
26.35%
Apples (1kg)
$5.77 $5.77
$3.25 ฿103
77.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.67 ฿52.9
-
Oranges (1kg)
$6.56 $6.56
$2.39 ฿75.7
174.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.01 $4.01
$2.09 ฿66.2
91.87%
Potato (1kg)
$3.64 $3.64
$1.53 ฿48.39
137.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.51 ฿47.79
81.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.72 $1.72
$0.99 ฿31.30
73.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.51 ฿16.30
280.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.57 $7.57
$4.27 ฿135
77.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.15 $20.15
$20.31 ฿643
-0.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.79 ฿56.7
-1.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 $3.16
$2.77 ฿87.6
14.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.40 ฿44.44
45.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.0 $58.0
$11.70 ฿370
395.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 $3.05
$3.11 ฿98.4
-1.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 $1.61
$0.99 ฿31.48
62.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.05 $20.05
$13.73 ฿435
46.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$1.32 ฿41.75
-37.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K $33.4K
$27.2K ฿862.0K
22.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K $24.4K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-28.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 $141
$120 ฿3,811
17.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.8 $54.8
$13.93 ฿441
293.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.6 $71.6
$18.31 ฿579
290.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.24 $29.24
$60.9 ฿1,928
-52.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.66 $18.66
$17.23 ฿545
8.30%
Cinema Ticket
$13.32 $13.32
$8.71 ฿276
52.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,324 $1,324
$698 ฿22.1K
89.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.2K $24.2K
$15.7K ฿498.0K
53.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.47 $49.47
$57.6 ฿1,824
-14.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.29 $36.29
$34.24 ฿1,084
5.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 $94.6
$113 ฿3,582
-16.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$156 $156
$84.8 ฿2,684
83.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,563 $2,563
$604 ฿19.1K
324.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 $1,723
$436 ฿13.8K
294.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,475 $4,475
$2,057 ฿65.1K
117.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,666 $2,666
$1,498 ฿47.4K
77.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,720 $5,720
$4,252 ฿134.6K
34.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,966 $2,966
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-0.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Charleston, SC
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,596 $4,596
$529 ฿16.7K
768.51%
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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