Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Stuart, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,242 in Stuart, FL, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Stuart, FL
Learn more

Stuart, FL Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Stuart, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Stuart, FL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,242 in Stuart, FL.

Phuket $1,278
Stuart, FL $3,242

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,428 in Stuart, FL.

Phuket $2,216
Stuart, FL $4,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,614 in Stuart, FL.

Phuket $3,154
Stuart, FL $5,614

Living in Phuket costs roughly 61% less than in Stuart, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Stuart, FL is 138% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.21 $20.21

-77.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$61.0 $61.0

-46.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.00 $10.00

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.70 $4.70

-39.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.01 $3.01

-71.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.28 $2.28

-78.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.14 $7.14

-64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.79 $6.79

-45.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.27 $1.27

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.96 $3.96

-63.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.26 $4.26

-64.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.19 $5.19

-59.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.29 $16.29

17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.53 $14.53

-77.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.63 $11.63

-6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.29 $5.29

-44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.66 $1.66

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.69 $3.69

-39.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.42 $4.42

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.07 $2.07

-27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.26 $3.26

-57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.31 $2.31

-53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.05 $2.05

-74.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.44 $9.44

-55.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.16 $13.16

42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.39 $2.39

-23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.10 $3.10

-8.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.01 $3.01

0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.00 $2.00

-49.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.80 $23.80

-84.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.86 $0.86

70.93%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.1K $35.1K

-23.73%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.7K $24.7K

8.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$166 $166

-42.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$40.46 $40.46

-72.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$55.8 $55.8

-69.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$29.01 $29.01

131.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.55 $11.55

-35.06%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,835 $1,835

-74.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$39.7K $39.7K

-71.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$27.10 $27.10

130.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.92 $39.92

-28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$72.6 $72.6

29.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$90.4 $90.4

-5.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,518 $2,518

-71.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$2,081 $2,081

-76.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$4,098 $4,098

-52.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$3,060 $3,060

-53.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,281 $3,281

27.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,209 $3,209

-5.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,823 $3,823

-86.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.77

-3.47%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stuart, FL: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Stuart, FL

$2.1K 64.2% 324% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Stuart, FL

$411 12.7% 54.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Stuart, FL

$262 8.1% 111% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Stuart, FL

$104 3.2% 15.1% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Stuart, FL

$319 9.8% 162% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Stuart, FL

$52 1.6% 36.6% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Stuart, FL

$13 * 0.4% 81.5% $58

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 $2,518 in Stuart, FL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stuart, FL pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in Stuart, FL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $411 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Stuart, FL

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

16,155

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Stuart, FL 16,110 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Stuart, FL

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 Stuart, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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 $2,518 in Stuart, FL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,835 in Stuart, FL. 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 $61 in Stuart, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,242 in Stuart, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stuart, FL. 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.

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