Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aiken, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,436 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aiken, SC

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Aiken, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,436 in Aiken, SC.

Phuket $1,278
Aiken, SC $2,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,384 in Aiken, SC.

Phuket $2,216
Aiken, SC $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,332 in Aiken, SC.

Phuket $3,154
Aiken, SC $4,332

Living in Phuket costs roughly 48% less than in Aiken, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Aiken, SC is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.28 $15.28

-70.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$58.8 $58.8

-44.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.80 $10.80

-18.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.69 $3.69

-23.31%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.18 $2.18

-60.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.97 $1.97

-75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.84 $5.84

-56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.53 $8.53

-56.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.02 $1.02

62.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.75 $2.75

-46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.31 $2.31

-35.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.59 $3.59

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.15 $14.15

34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.28 $6.28

-47.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.71 $18.71

-41.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$8.72 $8.72

-66.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.29 $2.29

-26.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.93 $2.93

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.87 $3.87

-46.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.95 $1.95

-22.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.74 $2.74

-49.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.87 $1.87

-42.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.05 $2.05

-74.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.16 $7.16

-41.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.05 $13.05

43.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.01 $2.01

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.98 $2.98

-4.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.90 $4.90

-38.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$5.02 $5.02

-79.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$51.0 $51.0

-92.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.73 $0.73

101.37%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.3K $28.3K

-5.42%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.11%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$222 $222

-56.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$66.2 $66.2

-83.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$84.2 $84.2

-80.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$56.6 $56.6

18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.99 $14.99

-49.97%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$942 $942

-49.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$18.0K $18.0K

-37.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$64.7 $64.7

-3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.36 $44.36

-35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$114 $114

-17.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$64.6 $64.6

32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,337 $1,337

-46.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,191 $1,191

-58.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,759 $1,759

9.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,706 $1,706

-16.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,694 $1,694

146.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,359 $1,359

124.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.57

-15.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.9% 143% $700

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Aiken, SC

$365 15% 37.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Aiken, SC

$372 15.3% 199% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aiken, SC

$130 5.3% 6.3% $7.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aiken, SC

$262 10.7% 115% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Aiken, SC

$87 3.6% 5.3% $4.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.2% 57.5% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $59 in Aiken, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $365 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,829

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Aiken, SC 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aiken, SC

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

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,654 in Aiken, SC to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $942 in Aiken, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,436 in Aiken, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Aiken, SC. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Aiken, SC are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.