Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, MO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, MO
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Saint Charles, MO Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saint Charles, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,184

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Charles, MO 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, MO and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, MO $2,184
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in Saint Charles, MO versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, MO $3,474
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,763 in Saint Charles, MO versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Saint Charles, MO $4,763
Phuket $2,845

Living in Saint Charles, MO is roughly 81% 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, MO is 61% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 $14.80

$4.40 ฿147

236.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

86.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$8.76 ฿293

35.05%

Cappuccino

$4.84 $4.84

$2.83 ฿94.5

71.02%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$0.90 ฿30.14

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.47 ฿15.56

293.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.55 ฿85.2

98.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.83 ฿128

60.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.73 ฿57.7

-56.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.47 ฿49.11

76.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$1.51 ฿50.6

315.23%

Eggs

$3.12 $3.12

$2.17 ฿72.7

43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$19.70 ฿658

-52.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$3.34 ฿112

94.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 $24.11

$11.16 ฿373

116.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.85 ฿95.1

30.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.70 ฿56.9

27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.18 $10.18

$2.19 ฿73.3

364.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.05 ฿68.4

149.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.45 ฿48.57

149.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.38 ฿46.16

168.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 ฿35.69

97.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.51 ฿16.91

323.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.14 $11.14

$4.26 ฿142

161.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$18.58 ฿621

-35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.78 ฿59.7

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.85 ฿95.2

-9.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.26 ฿75.6

116.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.01 ฿101

1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.06 ฿35.34

59.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.89 $49.89

$3.86 ฿129

1192.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 ฿48.45

-37.24%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

4.57%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-1.16%

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

$334 $334

$96.4 ฿3,221

247.02%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$11.04 ฿369

452.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.5 $75.5

$17.14 ฿573

340.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 $49.26

$52.2 ฿1,744

-5.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 $11.93

$7.81 ฿261

52.75%

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

$980 $980

$556 ฿18.6K

76.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 $68.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.64 $42.64

$28.69 ฿959

48.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$95.4 ฿3,187

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$88.0 ฿2,940

82.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 $1,479

$737 ฿24.6K

100.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$462 ฿15.5K

70.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-5.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$1,201 ฿40.1K

59.68%

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)

$4,223 $4,223

$501 ฿16.7K

743.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.58

5.57

18.13%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, MO: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Charles, MO

$790 36.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.5% $328

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, MO

$471 21.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 73.6% $346

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, MO

$393 18%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 31.7% $125

Eating Out

Saint Charles, MO

$267 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 54.7% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, MO

$158 7.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, MO

$73 3.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Saint Charles, MO

$31 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 26.8% $8.3

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 $1,479 in Saint Charles, MO and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Charles, MO pays 743% 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: $60.0 in Saint Charles, MO vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, MO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

06:30 6:30 AM

12 h ahead of Saint Charles, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Saint Charles, MO Phuket 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 743% higher in Saint Charles, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,479 in Saint Charles, MO versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $980 in Saint Charles, MO versus $556 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 $32.00 versus $60.0 in Saint Charles, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Charles, MO. 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 Saint Charles, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Saint Charles, MO and Phuket 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 81% less than in Saint Charles, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.