Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint Charles, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,683 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,683 in Saint Charles, IL.

Phuket $1,294
Saint Charles, IL $2,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,967 in Saint Charles, IL.

Phuket $2,204
Saint Charles, IL $3,967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,252 in Saint Charles, IL.

Phuket $3,115
Saint Charles, IL $5,252

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Saint Charles, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Saint Charles, IL is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$37.37 $37.37

-88.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$101 $101

-67.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$10.45 $10.45

-16.75%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$7.12 $7.12

-61.80%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$3.24 $3.24

-71.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.96 $2.96

-83.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$7.15 $7.15

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.52 $7.52

-51.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.05 $1.05

65.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$3.63 $3.63

-60.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.26 $4.26

-64.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.50 $4.50

-51.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$12.68 $12.68

50.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$11.47 $11.47

-70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.11 $13.11

-16.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.02 $5.02

-41.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.02 $1.02

65.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.20 $4.20

-47.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$4.76 $4.76

-55.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.79 $2.79

-47.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.93 $2.93

-53.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.59 $1.59

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$2.31 $2.31

-76.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.23 $10.23

-56.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$15.22 $15.22

19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.19 $2.19

-19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.47 $3.47

-17.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.98 $1.98

-26.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$58.3 $58.3

-5.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.55 $3.55

-57.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.68 $1.68

-53.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$30.30 $30.30

-87.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.03 $1.03

44.66%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$31.8K $31.8K

-15.54%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$28.0K $28.0K

-5.85%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$203 $203

-51.90%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$66.9 $66.9

-83.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$71.2 $71.2

-75.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$44.35 $44.35

54.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$15.85 $15.85

-53.12%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,473 $1,473

-63.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$22.9K $22.9K

-17.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$53.2 $53.2

15.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$36.28 $36.28

-22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$78.6 $78.6

22.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$123 $123

-29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,400 $1,400

-48.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,180 $1,180

-56.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,637 $2,637

-26.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,838 $1,838

-24.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,815 $2,815

48.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,620 $2,620

25.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.59

-15.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Saint Charles, IL

$1.2K 44% 132% $671

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Saint Charles, IL

$385 14.4% 44.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Saint Charles, IL

$341 12.7% 170% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Saint Charles, IL

$131 4.9% 6.9% $8.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$491 18.3% 311% $372

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Saint Charles, IL

$76 2.8% 8.6% $7.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Saint Charles, IL

$78 2.9% 18.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,400 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $101 in Saint Charles, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $385 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

70,329

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Saint Charles, IL 14,440 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $4,024 in Saint Charles, IL 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,400 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,473 in Saint Charles, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Saint Charles, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,683 in Saint Charles, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Charles, IL. 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 Saint Charles, IL are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Saint Charles, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.