Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $837 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $837 in Saint-Louis.

Phuket $1,208
Saint-Louis $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,315 in Saint-Louis.

Phuket $2,027
Saint-Louis $1,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,792 in Saint-Louis.

Phuket $2,845
Saint-Louis $1,792

Living in Phuket is roughly 44% more expensive than in Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Saint-Louis 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.45 F CFA 2,009

27.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$53.3 F CFA 31.1K

-39.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.12 F CFA 6,484

-21.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.34 F CFA 1,950

-15.27%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.24 F CFA 725

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.91 F CFA 529

-48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.68 F CFA 982

51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.37 F CFA 2,545

-12.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.59 F CFA 1,509

-33.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.27 F CFA 158

444.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.65 F CFA 963

-8.48%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.40 F CFA 1,399

-9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.50 F CFA 10.2K

12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.12 F CFA 5,315

-63.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.94 F CFA 6,378

2.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.24 F CFA 1,888

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

-8.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.97 F CFA 1,729

-26.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.79 F CFA 1,042

14.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.36 F CFA 791

6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.92 F CFA 535

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.09 F CFA 636

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.68 F CFA 397

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.18 F CFA 1,272

95.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$17.00 F CFA 9,911

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.53 F CFA 891

16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.33 F CFA 1,942

-14.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.86 F CFA 502

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.19 F CFA 1,279

-51.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$16.98 F CFA 9,899

-77.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.61 F CFA 939

-9.94%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$50.3K F CFA 29.3M

-47.67%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$47.3K F CFA 27.6M

-43.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$204 F CFA 118.8K

-52.70%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.80 F CFA 6,883

-6.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$45.79 F CFA 26.7K

-62.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.37 F CFA 4,882

-6.69%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$326 F CFA 189.9K

70.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$59.2 F CFA 34.5K

8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$46.50 F CFA 27.1K

-38.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$84.5 F CFA 49.3K

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$98.7 F CFA 57.6K

-10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$433 F CFA 252.2K

70.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.75

-36.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Saint-Louis

$290 34.7% 8.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Saint-Louis

$261 31.2% 110% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Saint-Louis

$130 15.5% 4.6% $5.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Saint-Louis

$127 15.1% 4.6% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2% 75.3% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 70% $28

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 $737 in Phuket and $433 in Saint-Louis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $53.0 in Saint-Louis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $290 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

176,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saint-Louis 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint-Louis

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-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Louis is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,256 in Saint-Louis 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: $737 in Phuket versus $433 in Saint-Louis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $326 in Saint-Louis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Louis – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $837 in Saint-Louis versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Louis but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Louis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.