Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hilton Head Island, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
Learn more

Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,925

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,687 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,687

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,449 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,449

Phuket is about 56% cheaper than Hilton Head Island, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Hilton Head Island, SC is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.92 $19.92

-77.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$60.1 $60.1

-46.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.29 $11.29

-21.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.97 $4.97

-43.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$3.09 $3.09

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.03 $2.03

-75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.93 $4.93

-48.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.07 $6.07

-39.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.71 $0.71

133.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.27 $3.27

-55.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.69 $3.69

-59.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.91 $2.91

-28.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.72 $8.72

118.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.56 $9.56

-65.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.15 $13.15

-17.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$4.61 $4.61

-36.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.46 $1.46

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.87 $3.87

-41.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.57 $4.57

-54.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.89 $2.89

-47.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.08 $3.08

-55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.53 $2.53

-57.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.43 $2.43

-78.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.05 $9.05

-53.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.07 $15.07

24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.13 $2.13

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.14 $3.14

-9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.54 $1.54

96.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.13 $1.13

-9.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$13.75 $13.75

-73.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.94 $0.94

56.38%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$31.2K $31.2K

-14.10%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

3.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$216 $216

-55.42%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$55.1 $55.1

-79.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$67.8 $67.8

-75.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$20.28 $20.28

231.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.54 $14.54

-48.42%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,294 $1,294

-63.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$11.9K $11.9K

-5.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$34.48 $34.48

80.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.82 $34.82

-18.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$80.3 $80.3

17.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$71.4 $71.4

20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$2,151 $2,151

-66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,769 $1,769

-72.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,272 $2,272

-15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$3,619 $3,619

15.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,538 $3,538

-13.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,451 $3,451

-85.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.64

-16.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hilton Head Island, SC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 60.5% 260% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$351 12% 31.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$339 11.6% 172% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$99 3.4% 18.4% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.6% 155% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$49 1.7% 40% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.2 * 0.3% 89.8% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, 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 Hilton Head Island, SC are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $60 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $351 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

10:53 10:53 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

40,512

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hilton Head Island, SC 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hilton Head Island, 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 Hilton Head Island, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 129% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,387 in Hilton Head Island, 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 $716 there versus $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC. That makes Phuket about 56% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,294 in Hilton Head Island, SC. 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 $1,278, than in Hilton Head Island, SC at $2,925. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilton Head Island, 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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