Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mount Pleasant, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Mount Pleasant, SC
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Mount Pleasant, SC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Mount Pleasant, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Phuket $1,190
Mount Pleasant, SC $2,569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $3,832 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Phuket $2,006
Mount Pleasant, SC $3,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $5,095 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Phuket $2,822
Mount Pleasant, SC $5,095

Living in Phuket costs roughly 54% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Mount Pleasant, SC is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$20.23 $20.23

-78.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$80.4 $80.4

-59.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$10.93 $10.93

-22.96%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$5.65 $5.65

-50.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.74 $2.74

-68.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.24 $2.24

-79.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$6.16 $6.16

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$8.20 $8.20

-55.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.01 $1.01

69.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$4.19 $4.19

-65.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$3.29 $3.29

-52.58%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$4.26 $4.26

-50.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$16.77 $16.77

16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$14.49 $14.49

-76.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$18.00 $18.00

-38.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$5.18 $5.18

-45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.50 $1.50

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$4.66 $4.66

-52.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$4.70 $4.70

-54.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$3.72 $3.72

-59.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$3.18 $3.18

-58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.98 $1.98

-45.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$2.26 $2.26

-77.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$10.12 $10.12

-56.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$15.73 $15.73

19.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.42 $2.42

-28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$3.03 $3.03

-8.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.20 $2.20

-1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.94 $2.94

2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.21 $1.21

-12.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$29.68 $29.68

-87.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$0.98 $0.98

45.92%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$34.6K $34.6K

-23.86%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$25.0K $25.0K

4.80%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$173 $173

-44.00%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$66.3 $66.3

-82.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$81.3 $81.3

-78.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$41.67 $41.67

26.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$14.25 $14.25

-46.32%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$1,277 $1,277

-56.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$24.7K $24.7K

-54.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$50.8 $50.8

24.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$36.74 $36.74

-22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$96.2 $96.2

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$138 $138

-35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,574 $1,574

-53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$1,177 $1,177

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$2,731 $2,731

-23.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$2,095 $2,095

-43.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$2,793 $2,793

25.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$2,657 $2,657

-6.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.48

-14.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mount Pleasant, SC: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$1.2K 47.1% 157% $719

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$438 17.6% 63.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$320 12.8% 156% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$145 5.8% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$330 13.2% 176% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$70 2.8% 3% $2.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$18 * 0.7% 54.7% $21

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 $735 in Phuket and $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $80.0 in Mount Pleasant, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $438 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Mount Pleasant, SC

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

16:47 4:47 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,202

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mount Pleasant, SC 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Mount Pleasant, SC differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $2,569 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Phuket and $3,854 in Mount Pleasant, 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: $735 in Phuket versus $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Mount Pleasant, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Phuket versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant, SC are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.