Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Castries

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,438 in Castries, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Castries despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Castries

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 Castries actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,438 in Castries, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Castries $1,438

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,357 in Castries, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Castries $2,357

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,276 in Castries, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Castries $3,276

Phuket is about 16% cheaper than Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Castries is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$9.45 EC$25.52

-53.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$73.8 EC$199

-56.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.56 EC$23.12

2.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.81 EC$10.29

-25.72%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.98 EC$5.34

-54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.98 EC$2.65

-52.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.81 EC$7.58

-9.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.24 EC$8.75

18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.03 EC$5.48

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.81 EC$4.88

-18.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.65 EC$4.46

-8.48%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.74 EC$12.81

-54.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.00 EC$29.69

79.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.06 EC$24.46

-63.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.50 EC$39.15

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$8.79 EC$23.73

-67.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.61 EC$4.34

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$8.28 EC$22.36

-73.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$14.53 EC$39.22

-85.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.45 EC$9.31

-57.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.99 EC$5.37

-30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.28 EC$6.16

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.28 EC$3.47

-60.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.17 EC$24.77

-53.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.99 EC$29.66

69.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.21 EC$5.97

-19.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.40 EC$14.57

-47.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.08 EC$2.93

109.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$9.47 EC$25.57

-68.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.56 EC$4.21

-7.05%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$26.0K EC$70.1K

1.38%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$37.1K EC$100.2K

-27.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$121 EC$327

-20.40%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$87.8 EC$237

-87.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$49.26 EC$133

-65.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.19 EC$111

26.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.67 EC$15.30

37.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$214 EC$579

159.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$82.1 EC$222

-21.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$50.8 EC$137

-43.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$109 EC$294

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$112 EC$301

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$449 EC$1,212

64.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$347 EC$937

33.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,222 EC$3,300

71.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$707 EC$1,910

69.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$102 EC$274

3333.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$64.5 EC$174

3811.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,093 EC$2,952

-54.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.75

-28.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Castries: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Castries

$347 24.2% 24.9% $115

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Castries

$428 29.7% 59.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Castries

$258 18% 107% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Castries

$159 11.1% 27.9% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Castries

$179 12.5% 48% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Castries

$53 3.7% 22.5% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Castries

$14 * 1% 65% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $449 in Castries. 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 118% higher in Castries, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $74.0 in Castries. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $428 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

01:06 1:06 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

22,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Castries 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Castries

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 Castries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castries costs about 19% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $2,157 in Castries. 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 $1,208 in Phuket and $1,438 in Castries. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $214 in Castries. 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 Castries at $1,438. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Castries it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,438 in Castries. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Castries makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.