Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,436 in Saint-Etienne, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Saint-Etienne despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
Learn more

Saint-Etienne Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint-Etienne

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-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,436 in Saint-Etienne.

Phuket $1,278
Saint-Etienne $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,264 in Saint-Etienne.

Phuket $2,216
Saint-Etienne $2,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,092 in Saint-Etienne.

Phuket $3,154
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Saint-Etienne is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.56 €14.88

-73.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$56.7 €50.9

-42.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.54 €12.16

-34.93%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.07 €1.86

36.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.42 €3.07

-74.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.70 €1.53

-71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.07 €4.55

-49.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.75 €5.16

-36.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.29 €1.15

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 €0.99

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.09 €1.88

-28.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.05 €2.74

-31.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$17.01 €15.28

12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.17 €10.03

-70.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.35 €14.68

-33.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.27 €2.94

-10.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.54 €2.28

-33.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.45 €2.20

-8.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.71 €2.43

-23.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.57 €1.41

-3.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.73 €1.55

-20.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.30 €2.07

-77.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.15 €10.91

-65.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.14 €9.11

85.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.32 €2.99

-45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.26 €2.93

-12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.81 €1.62

-19.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$39.87 €35.82

42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.83 €2.54

6.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.11 €1.89

-30.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.1K €18.0K

33.34%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.0K €28.7K

-16.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$164 €148

-41.37%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.01 €26.06

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$19.04 €17.11

-11.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$29.86 €26.82

125.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.61 €5.94

62.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.89 €8.88

-24.17%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$996 €894

-52.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$15.8K €14.2K

-28.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$72.1 €64.8

-13.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.47 €27.37

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$103 €92.3

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$151 €135

-43.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$515 €463

38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$370 €332

32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$873 €785

120.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$716 €643

99.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,677 €1,506

149.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,619 €1,454

88.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,255 €2,026

-77.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.67

51.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 24.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 27.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 70.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 31.4% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 110% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 39.6% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5% 29.3% $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 $716 in Phuket and $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Etienne pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Saint-Etienne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $339 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

172,718

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saint-Etienne 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint-Etienne

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-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $996 in Saint-Etienne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Saint-Etienne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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-Etienne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Saint-Etienne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.