Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $917 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
Learn more

St.James Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in St.James

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $917 in St.James.

Phuket $1,278
St.James $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,593 in St.James.

Phuket $2,216
St.James $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,270 in St.James.

Phuket $3,154
St.James $2,270

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than in St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, St.James 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.13 TTD 68.0

-55.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$88.4 TTD 593

-63.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.03 TTD 60.6

-2.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.65 TTD 24.49

-22.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.99 TTD 6.67

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.77 TTD 5.15

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.25 TTD 15.06

13.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.67 TTD 24.62

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.51 TTD 16.85

-33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.48 TTD 16.67

-41.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.80 TTD 18.82

-46.43%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.43 TTD 29.73

-52.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.57 TTD 44.06

190.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.90 TTD 66.4

-66.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.79 TTD 79.1

-7.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.66 TTD 37.97

-48.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.97 TTD 19.90

-43.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.75 TTD 25.19

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.28 TTD 28.70

-51.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.21 TTD 14.84

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.87 TTD 12.54

-26.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.91 TTD 12.84

-43.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.35 TTD 9.08

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.73 TTD 38.48

-26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.28 TTD 129

-2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.21 TTD 14.82

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.00 TTD 20.13

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.01 TTD 6.78

199.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.23 TTD 8.26

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$14.65 TTD 98.3

-74.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.17 TTD 7.83

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$37.2K TTD 249.9K

-28.11%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.7K TTD 273.4K

-34.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$90.2 TTD 605

6.78%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$50.9 TTD 341

-77.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.0 TTD 376

-69.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.06 TTD 60.8

-17.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$398 TTD 2,669

19.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.9K TTD 73.1K

3.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$54.3 TTD 364

14.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.3 TTD 344

-44.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$148 TTD 996

-36.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$103 TTD 693

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for St.James: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

St.James

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

St.James

$356 38.8% 33.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

St.James

$197 21.5% 58.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

St.James

$161 17.5% 31.9% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

St.James

$178 19.4% 45.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

St.James

$18 * 2% 78% $64

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

St.James

$7.2 * 0.8% 89.9% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $88 in St.James for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $356 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,342

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket St.James 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
St.James

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 St.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St.James is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,375 in St.James 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.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $398 in St.James. 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 $88 in St.James. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $917 in St.James versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in St.James but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes St.James 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.