Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint Cloud, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Saint Cloud, MN
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Saint Cloud, MN Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Saint Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint Cloud, MN

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 Cloud, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN.

Phuket $1,208
Saint Cloud, MN $1,894

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,718 in Saint Cloud, MN.

Phuket $2,027
Saint Cloud, MN $2,718

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,543 in Saint Cloud, MN.

Phuket $2,845
Saint Cloud, MN $3,543

Living in Phuket costs roughly 36% less than in Saint Cloud, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Saint Cloud, MN is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$15.19 $15.19

-71.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$40.27 $40.27

-19.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.63 $8.63

1.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.47 $4.47

-36.69%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.88 $2.88

-68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.25 $2.25

-79.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.08 $6.08

-58.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.85 $4.85

-21.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.92 $0.92

88.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.50 $1.50

-2.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.90 $1.90

-20.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.78 $3.78

-42.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.54 $9.54

106.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.53 $6.53

-48.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$19.42 $19.42

-42.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.66 $3.66

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.09 $1.09

55.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.82 $2.82

-22.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.63 $3.63

-43.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.03 $2.03

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.91 $2.91

-52.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.99 $1.99

-46.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$3.08 $3.08

-83.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$11.38 $11.38

-62.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$15.07 $15.07

23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.69 $1.69

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.04 $3.04

-6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.71 $1.71

32.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$59.8 $59.8

-63.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.48 $3.48

-13.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.84 $0.84

26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$12.16 $12.16

-68.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.92 $0.92

57.61%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.2K $30.2K

-12.84%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$23.7K $23.7K

13.66%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$118 $118

-18.26%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$46.72 $46.72

-76.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$43.38 $43.38

-60.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$24.65 $24.65

111.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$28.09 $28.09

-60.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.18 $12.18

-35.88%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,709 $1,709

-67.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,778 $5,778

100.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$57.4 $57.4

11.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$50.1 $50.1

-42.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.4 $73.4

29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$78.9 $78.9

11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$931 $931

-20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$862 $862

-46.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,371 $1,371

52.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,290 $1,290

-6.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,993 $1,993

74.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,745 $1,745

44.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,967 $3,967

-87.38%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saint Cloud, MN: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Saint Cloud, MN

$862 45.5% 86.4% $399

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Saint Cloud, MN

$322 17% 19.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Saint Cloud, MN

$208 11% 67% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Saint Cloud, MN

$117 6.2% 6% $7.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Saint Cloud, MN

$262 13.8% 116% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Saint Cloud, MN

$49 2.6% 27.7% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Saint Cloud, MN

$74 3.9% 88.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $931 in Saint Cloud, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Cloud, MN pays 692% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Saint Cloud, MN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $322 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Saint Cloud, MN

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

67,109

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Saint Cloud, MN 13,940 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint Cloud, MN

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 Cloud, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 692% lower in Saint Cloud, MN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $931 in Saint Cloud, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,709 in Saint Cloud, MN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Saint Cloud, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Cloud, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Saint Cloud, MN, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Saint Cloud, MN 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 57% less than in Saint Cloud, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.