Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,094 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,094

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,094 in Philipsburg versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Philipsburg $3,094
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,080 in Philipsburg versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Philipsburg $6,080
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,066 in Philipsburg versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Philipsburg $9,066
Phuket $3,154

Living in Philipsburg is roughly 142% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Philipsburg is 127% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 ANG 27.37

$4.47 ฿151

242.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 ANG 123

$32.41 ฿1,093

112.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 ANG 14.34

$8.81 ฿297

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ANG 7.93

$2.83 ฿95.4

56.54%

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

$2.86 ANG 5.13

$0.87 ฿29.41

228.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 ANG 7.29

$0.49 ฿16.65

730.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ANG 5.26

$2.56 ฿86.3

14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 ANG 11.90

$3.68 ฿124

80.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 ANG 5.41

$1.66 ฿55.9

81.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 ANG 4.89

$1.46 ฿49.31

86.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 ANG 4.40

$1.50 ฿50.5

64.00%

Eggs

$6.46 ANG 11.56

$2.09 ฿70.5

209.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.14 ANG 32.47

$19.07 ฿643

-4.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 ANG 24.61

$3.30 ฿111

316.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 ANG 27.10

$10.91 ฿368

38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ANG 9.11

$2.93 ฿98.9

73.72%

Banana (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.07

$1.69 ฿57.0

200.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.79 ANG 15.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

290.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.70 ANG 13.78

$2.08 ฿70.0

270.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.94 ANG 7.04

$1.51 ฿51.0

160.93%

Onion (1kg)

$4.06 ANG 7.27

$1.38 ฿46.52

194.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.95 ANG 8.86

$1.07 ฿35.96

362.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ANG 2.44

$0.52 ฿17.51

161.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 ANG 14.11

$4.20 ฿142

87.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 ANG 19.61

$18.79 ฿634

-41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.98 ANG 8.91

$1.82 ฿61.5

173.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 ANG 4.15

$1.45 ฿48.98

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.53 ANG 2.74

$56.7 ฿1,912

-97.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$14.87 ANG 26.61

$3.02 ฿102

392.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$153 ANG 273

$96.4 ฿3,251

58.35%

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

$32.43 ANG 58.1

$11.26 ฿380

188.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 ANG 116

$16.85 ฿568

285.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 ANG 114

$67.2 ฿2,268

-5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.02 ANG 19.72

$7.50 ฿253

46.93%

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

$253 ANG 452

$476 ฿16.1K

-46.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ANG 21.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

8.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ANG 3,805

$716 ฿24.2K

196.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ANG 3,550

$491 ฿16.6K

304.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,627 ANG 11.9K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

243.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,545 ANG 11.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

357.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 ANG 1,988

$502 ฿16.9K

121.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Philipsburg

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,126 in Philipsburg and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays about 2.2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $69 in Philipsburg vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $494 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

20:23 8:23 PM

11 h ahead of Philipsburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.5 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 ANG (1 ANG = 0.5 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philipsburg Phuket 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Philipsburg
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

Philipsburg vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Philipsburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Philipsburg is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,126 in Philipsburg versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $69 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,094 in Philipsburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Philipsburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.