Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Myrtle Beach, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Myrtle Beach, SC
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Myrtle Beach, SC Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Myrtle Beach, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Myrtle Beach, SC $2,474

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,472 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Myrtle Beach, SC $3,472

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,471 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Myrtle Beach, SC $4,471

Phuket is about 51% cheaper than Myrtle Beach, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Myrtle Beach, SC is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$18.31 $18.31

-75.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$73.6 $73.6

-56.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.13 $11.13

-21.29%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.14 $5.14

-44.94%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.62 $2.62

-65.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.27 $2.27

-79.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.18 $6.18

-58.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.80 $6.80

-43.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.89 $0.89

94.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.24 $3.24

-54.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.32 $3.32

-54.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.94 $3.94

-44.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.92 $12.92

52.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$10.89 $10.89

-69.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.07 $15.07

-25.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.19 $5.19

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.29 $1.29

31.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.32 $4.32

-49.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.62 $4.62

-55.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.70 $3.70

-60.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.86 $2.86

-51.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.80 $1.80

-40.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.23 $2.23

-77.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$7.48 $7.48

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.87 $12.87

44.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.85 $1.85

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.11 $2.11

35.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.01 $3.01

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.90 $1.90

-44.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$30.24 $30.24

-87.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.93 $0.93

55.91%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

-6.45%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$23.9K $23.9K

12.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$158 $158

-38.98%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$67.2 $67.2

-83.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$79.2 $79.2

-78.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$51.1 $51.1

2.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.07 $15.07

-25.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.09 $11.09

-29.58%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,453 $1,453

-61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$25.2K $25.2K

-54.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$51.2 $51.2

25.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.71 $37.71

-23.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$83.1 $83.1

14.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$89.1 $89.1

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,488 $1,488

-50.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,287 $1,287

-64.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,418 $2,418

-13.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,811 $1,811

-33.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,443 $2,443

42.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,353 $2,353

7.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,625 $3,625

-86.19%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Myrtle Beach, SC: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$1.3K 52% 178% $825

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$373 15.1% 38.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$304 12.3% 144% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$118 4.8% 5.5% $6.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$306 12.4% 152% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$73 3% 8% $5.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Myrtle Beach, SC

$13 * 0.5% 68.3% $27

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 $1,488 in Myrtle Beach, SC. 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 624% higher in Myrtle Beach, SC, 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 Myrtle Beach, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $373 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Myrtle Beach, SC

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

29,175

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Myrtle Beach, SC 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Myrtle Beach, 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 Myrtle Beach, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Myrtle Beach, SC is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,710 in Myrtle Beach, 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. 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 $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $1,453 in Myrtle Beach, 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 $1,208, than in Myrtle Beach, SC at $2,474. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Myrtle Beach, 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 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, Myrtle Beach, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.