Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,802 in Saint John’s, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,802 in Saint John’s.

Phuket $1,278
Saint John's $1,802

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,835 in Saint John’s.

Phuket $2,216
Saint John's $2,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,867 in Saint John’s.

Phuket $3,154
Saint John's $3,867

Living in Phuket costs roughly 29% less than in Saint John’s, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Saint John’s is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.92 EC$45.68

-73.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$56.5 EC$152

-42.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.19 EC$24.81

-4.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.62 EC$9.77

-21.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.01 EC$5.42

-56.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.18 EC$3.19

-58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.38 EC$6.44

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.46 EC$12.05

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.17 EC$5.86

-23.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.73 EC$7.37

-46.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.82 EC$4.90

-17.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$6.73 EC$18.16

-68.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.74 EC$23.61

118.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.62 EC$20.59

-56.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.01 EC$32.43

-9.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$6.64 EC$17.92

-55.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.51 EC$6.79

-32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$8.33 EC$22.49

-72.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$8.01 EC$21.63

-74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.81 EC$7.58

-46.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.90 EC$7.82

-52.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.54 EC$6.86

-57.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.53 EC$4.12

-66.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$5.39 EC$14.55

248.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.93 EC$5.20

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.34 EC$9.03

-14.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.57 EC$4.25

-6.37%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$257 EC$693

-62.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$40.33 EC$109

-72.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$80.2 EC$216

-78.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$63.6 EC$172

5.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.34 EC$17.11

18.30%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$187 EC$506

153.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$1,860 EC$5,023

505.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$49.10 EC$133

27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$74.8 EC$202

26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,052 EC$2,839

-31.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$678 EC$1,830

-27.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,648 EC$4,448

16.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,503 EC$4,057

-4.79%

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

$1,383 EC$3,734

-63.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.5

1.27%

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's: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saint John's

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saint John's

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saint John's

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint John's

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint John's

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saint John's

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saint John's

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,052 in Saint John’s. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John’s pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Saint John’s for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $375 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

05:00 5:00 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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 = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saint John's 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint John's

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's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $1,052 in Saint John’s. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $187 in Saint John’s. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $56 in Saint John’s. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,802 in Saint John’s, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint John’s. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Saint John’s are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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