Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Myrtle Beach, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Myrtle Beach, SC
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Myrtle Beach, SC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Myrtle Beach, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,474

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,474 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $2,474
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,472 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $3,472
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,471 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $4,471
Phuket $2,845

Myrtle Beach, SC costs about 105% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Myrtle Beach, SC sits 83% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 $18.31

$4.40 ฿147

316.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

128.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 $11.13

$8.76 ฿293

27.05%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$2.83 ฿94.5

81.63%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$0.90 ฿30.14

191.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.47 ฿15.56

382.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.55 ฿85.2

142.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.83 ฿128

77.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.73 ฿57.7

-48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.47 ฿49.11

120.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.51 ฿50.6

119.87%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.17 ฿72.7

81.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 $12.92

$19.70 ฿658

-34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$3.34 ฿112

226.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$11.16 ฿373

35.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.85 ฿95.1

82.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.70 ฿56.9

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.19 ฿73.3

97.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.05 ฿68.4

125.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.45 ฿48.57

155.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.38 ฿46.16

107.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.07 ฿35.69

68.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.51 ฿16.91

337.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.48 $7.48

$4.26 ฿142

75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$18.58 ฿621

-30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.78 ฿59.7

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.06 ฿35.34

79.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.24 $30.24

$3.86 ฿129

683.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 ฿48.45

-35.86%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.89%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-11.13%

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

$158 $158

$96.4 ฿3,221

63.88%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$11.04 ฿369

508.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 $79.2

$17.14 ฿573

362.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 $51.1

$52.2 ฿1,744

-2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 $15.07

$11.16 ฿373

35.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$7.81 ฿261

42.00%

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

$1,453 $1,453

$556 ฿18.6K

161.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

117.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 $51.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

-20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.71 $37.71

$28.69 ฿959

31.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$95.4 ฿3,187

-12.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 $89.1

$88.0 ฿2,940

1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$737 ฿24.6K

101.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$462 ฿15.5K

178.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 $2,418

$2,095 ฿70.0K

15.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,201 ฿40.1K

50.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,443 $2,443

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-29.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 $2,353

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-6.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$501 ฿16.7K

624.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

5.57

16.34%

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

Last update for Myrtle Beach, SC: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Myrtle Beach, SC

$1.3K 52%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.1% $825

Groceries & Markets

Myrtle Beach, SC

$373 15.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 28% $104

Eating Out

Myrtle Beach, SC

$306 12.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.3% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Myrtle Beach, SC

$304 12.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 59.1% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Myrtle Beach, SC

$118 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.8% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Myrtle Beach, SC

$73 3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.4% $5.4

Getting Around

Myrtle Beach, SC

$13 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 215% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Myrtle Beach, SC versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 624% higher in Myrtle Beach, SC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Myrtle Beach, SC versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Myrtle Beach, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

15:08 3:08 PM

11 h ahead of Myrtle Beach, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,175

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Myrtle Beach, SC Phuket 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Myrtle Beach, 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

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

Yes – Myrtle Beach, SC is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,710 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $1,453 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Myrtle Beach, SC at $2,474. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Myrtle Beach, SC 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Myrtle Beach, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.