Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,758

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Charles, IL and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint Charles, IL and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, IL $2,758
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,119 in Saint Charles, IL versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, IL $4,119
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,480 in Saint Charles, IL versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, IL $5,480
Phuket $3,154

Living in Saint Charles, IL is roughly 116% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Charles, IL is 103% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.06 $38.06

$4.47 ฿151

751.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$32.41 ฿1,092

203.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 $10.46

$8.81 ฿297

18.73%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$2.83 ฿95.3

142.05%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$0.87 ฿29.37

291.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.49 ฿16.64

497.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.56 ฿86.2

171.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$3.68 ฿124

98.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.66 ฿55.9

-39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.46 ฿49.25

143.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.50 ฿50.4

192.00%

Eggs

$4.40 $4.40

$2.09 ฿70.4

110.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$19.07 ฿642

-35.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$3.30 ฿111

254.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.91 ฿368

20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.93 ฿98.7

68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.69 ฿56.9

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.25 ฿75.7

87.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.08 ฿70.0

129.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.51 ฿50.9

83.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.38 ฿46.47

112.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.07 ฿35.91

48.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.52 ฿17.49

330.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 $10.00

$4.20 ฿142

138.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$18.79 ฿633

-21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.82 ฿61.4

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.84 ฿95.7

21.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.45 ฿48.93

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 $56.5

$56.7 ฿1,909

-0.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.02 ฿102

3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.02 ฿34.29

71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.35 $30.35

$3.69 ฿124

722.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 ฿49.70

-30.61%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

5.96%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-2.04%

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

$200 $200

$96.4 ฿3,247

107.91%

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

$57.2 $57.2

$11.26 ฿380

408.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$16.85 ฿568

308.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 $42.10

$67.2 ฿2,266

-37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$7.50 ฿253

86.00%

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

$1,396 $1,396

$476 ฿16.0K

193.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

107.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 $52.2

$62.4 ฿2,102

-16.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 $41.94

$28.41 ฿957

47.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$94.3 ฿3,178

-4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$85.8 ฿2,892

35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$716 ฿24.1K

123.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 $1,276

$491 ฿16.5K

159.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 $2,547

$1,927 ฿64.9K

32.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 $2,113

$1,431 ฿48.2K

47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,724 $2,724

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-34.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,361 $2,361

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-22.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 46.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.5% $785

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$493 17.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 75.3% $371

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$381 13.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$326 11.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 61.9% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$135 4.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.9% $13

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$76 2.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 7.7% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$70 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 17.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98 in Saint Charles, IL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

11:19 11:19 AM

13 h ahead of Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Saint Charles, IL Phuket 14,440 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, IL
Phuket

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

Saint Charles, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,137 in Saint Charles, IL and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,396 in Saint Charles, IL versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $98 in Saint Charles, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Charles, IL. 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.

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