Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,315 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $3,315 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Charleston, SC $3,315

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $4,745 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Charleston, SC $4,745

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $6,175 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Charleston, SC $6,175

Phuket is about 61% cheaper than Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Charleston, SC is 145% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$19.83 $19.83

-77.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$135 $135

-76.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$12.10 $12.10

-28.10%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$5.80 $5.80

-53.10%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$2.80 $2.80

-66.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$2.36 $2.36

-78.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$6.90 $6.90

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.23 $8.23

-55.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.11 $1.11

56.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$4.21 $4.21

-65.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$4.76 $4.76

-68.49%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$5.56 $5.56

-60.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$22.87 $22.87

-16.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$14.35 $14.35

-76.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$20.66 $20.66

-47.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$8.13 $8.13

-63.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.78 $1.78

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$5.19 $5.19

-57.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$7.12 $7.12

-70.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$5.09 $5.09

-71.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$3.85 $3.85

-64.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$2.89 $2.89

-62.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$3.26 $3.26

-83.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$8.71 $8.71

-49.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$19.64 $19.64

-7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$2.76 $2.76

-35.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$2.99 $2.99

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$1.95 $1.95

-25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$58.0 $58.0

-5.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$3.04 $3.04

-50.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$1.21 $1.21

-35.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$32.03 $32.03

-88.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$1.03 $1.03

44.66%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$26.5K $26.5K

1.59%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$25.6K $25.6K

3.06%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$228 $228

-57.15%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$77.0 $77.0

-85.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$80.7 $80.7

-78.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$43.34 $43.34

57.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

$20.07 $20.07

-45.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$14.08 $14.08

-47.23%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,270 $1,270

-58.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$22.7K $22.7K

-17.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$76.5 $76.5

-19.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$45.68 $45.68

-38.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$114 $114

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$133 $133

-34.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$2,166 $2,166

-66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,743 $1,743

-70.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$3,414 $3,414

-42.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$2,445 $2,445

-42.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$5,965 $5,965

-29.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$3,094 $3,094

6.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$4,780 $4,780

-89.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.61

-15.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Charleston, SC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.6% 243% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Charleston, SC

$537 16.2% 101% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Charleston, SC

$386 11.6% 206% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Charleston, SC

$166 5% 35.2% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1% 181% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Charleston, SC

$71 2.2% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3% 13.4% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $2,166 in Charleston, SC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Charleston, SC are about 9.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $135 in Charleston, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $537 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

150,227

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Charleston, SC 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Charleston, 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 Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleston, SC costs about 156% 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 $1,940 per month in Phuket and $4,973 in Charleston, SC. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $2,166 in Charleston, SC.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $1,270 in Charleston, SC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% more in Charleston, SC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Charleston, SC at $3,315. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charleston, 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.

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