Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and St Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $4,391 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $38,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
212

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in St Thomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $4,391 in St Thomas.

Phuket $1,208
St Thomas $4,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $7,217 in St Thomas.

Phuket $2,027
St Thomas $7,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $10.0K in St Thomas.

Phuket $2,845
St Thomas $10.0K

Living in Phuket costs roughly 72% less than in St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, St Thomas is 224% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$22.90 $22.90

-80.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$171 $171

-81.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$13.62 $13.62

-35.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.98 $5.98

-52.68%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$3.95 $3.95

-77.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$3.39 $3.39

-86.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.07 $5.07

-49.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.92 $6.92

-44.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.77 $2.77

-37.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$6.67 $6.67

-77.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$18.43 $18.43

-91.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$8.95 $8.95

-75.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.19 $11.19

76.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$28.68 $28.68

-88.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$39.99 $39.99

-72.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$12.11 $12.11

-76.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$11.00 $11.00

-84.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$12.23 $12.23

-82.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$19.61 $19.61

-89.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.95 $1.95

-25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$9.04 $9.04

-84.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$8.08 $8.08

-86.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$5.40 $5.40

-90.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$25.24 $25.24

-26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$6.17 $6.17

-53.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.96 $1.96

15.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$61.0 $61.0

-63.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$19.69 $19.69

-84.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.18 $3.18

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.42 $1.42

2.11%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$54.6K $54.6K

-51.76%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$48.6K $48.6K

-44.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$463 $463

-79.18%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$102 $102

-89.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$150 $150

-88.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$162 $162

-67.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.03 $10.03

-22.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,477 $1,477

-62.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$22.4K $22.4K

-48.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$113 $113

-43.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$147 $147

-80.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$199 $199

-52.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$151 $151

-41.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,584 $1,584

-53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,793 $1,793

-74.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$3,222 $3,222

-34.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$4,208 $4,208

-71.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,853 $4,853

-28.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$10.9K $10.9K

-76.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,792 $2,792

-82.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

St Thomas

$1.8K 40.8% 288% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

St Thomas

$958 * 21.8% 257% $690

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

St Thomas

$714 16.3% 474% $590

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

St Thomas

$274 6.3% 121% $150

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

St Thomas

$364 8.3% 201% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

St Thomas

$182 4.2% 169% $115

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 165% $65

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 $1,584 in St Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St Thomas pays 458% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $171 in St Thomas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $958 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

12:56 12:56 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket St Thomas 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
St Thomas

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 Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 263% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 458% lower in St Thomas. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,584 in St Thomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,477 in St Thomas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 257% higher in St Thomas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $4,391 in St Thomas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St Thomas. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and St Thomas 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in St Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.