Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint John Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $6,072 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $57,500 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
294

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint John Island

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 John Island actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $6,072 in Saint John Island.

Phuket $1,278
Saint John Island $6,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $8,298 in Saint John Island.

Phuket $2,216
Saint John Island $8,298

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $10.5K in Saint John Island.

Phuket $3,154
Saint John Island $10.5K

Living in Phuket costs roughly 79% less than in Saint John Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Saint John Island is 346% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$68.8 $68.8

-93.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$148 $148

-78.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.73 $14.73

-40.19%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$8.88 $8.88

-68.13%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$3.43 $3.43

-74.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$3.57 $3.57

-86.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.13 $5.13

-50.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.90 $6.90

-46.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.09 $3.09

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$7.89 $7.89

-81.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$12.03 $12.03

-87.53%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$12.16 $12.16

-82.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$31.60 $31.60

-39.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$32.57 $32.57

-89.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$23.59 $23.59

-53.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$21.89 $21.89

-86.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$4.07 $4.07

-58.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$17.71 $17.71

-87.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$12.22 $12.22

-82.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$7.87 $7.87

-80.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$7.80 $7.80

-82.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$5.07 $5.07

-78.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$3.54 $3.54

-85.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.11 $9.11

-53.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$23.35 $23.35

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$4.38 $4.38

-58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$5.87 $5.87

-51.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$6.90 $6.90

-78.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$148 $148

-61.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$30.28 $30.28

-90.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$49.64 $49.64

-92.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.55 $1.55

-5.16%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$46.6K $46.6K

-42.52%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$53.9K $53.9K

-50.45%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$304 $304

-68.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$101 $101

-88.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$103 $103

-83.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$79.2 $79.2

-21.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$49.86 $49.86

-43.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$86.0 $86.0

9.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$102 $102

-15.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$3,997 $3,997

-82.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$3,465 $3,465

-85.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$5,068 $5,068

-61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$4,501 $4,501

-68.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$4,513 $4,513

-88.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saint John Island: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.1% 606% $3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saint John Island

$983 16.2% 269% $717

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saint John Island

$508 8.4% 308% $383

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint John Island

$143 2.4% 16.9% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint John Island

$768 12.7% 531% $647

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saint John Island

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saint John Island

$206 * 3.4% 191% $135

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 $3,997 in Saint John Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John Island pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $148 in Saint John Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $983 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

23:28 11:28 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,170

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 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 = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Saint John Island 16,560 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint John Island

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 John Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 79% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $3,997 in Saint John Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $148 in Saint John Island. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 62% less than in Saint John Island. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $6,072 in Saint John Island, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint John Island. 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 John Island 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 79% less than in Saint John Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.