Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Denis and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,791 in Saint-Denis, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Saint-Denis, Reunion
Phuket, Thailand
Saint-Denis
🇷🇪 Reunion
$1,791
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,791 in Saint-Denis versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Saint-Denis $1,791
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,170 in Saint-Denis versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Saint-Denis $3,170
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,549 in Saint-Denis versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Saint-Denis $4,549
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Saint-Denis is roughly 40% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint-Denis is 32% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.21 €11.87
$4.47 ฿151
195.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.7 €70.7
$32.41 ฿1,094
142.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.42 €13.85
$8.81 ฿297
75.03%
Cappuccino
$3.66 €3.29
$2.83 ฿95.5
29.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.36
$0.87 ฿29.43
201.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 €2.27
$0.49 ฿16.67
416.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 €2.98
$2.56 ฿86.4
29.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.80 €4.31
$3.68 ฿124
30.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.66 ฿56.0
4.22%
White Bread (500g)
-
$1.46 ฿49.35
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.99 €2.68
$1.50 ฿50.6
99.33%
Eggs
$4.71 €4.23
$2.09 ฿70.5
125.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.23 €18.17
$19.07 ฿644
6.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.36 €12.01
$3.30 ฿111
304.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$33.95 €30.49
$10.91 ฿368
211.18%
Apples (1kg)
-
$2.93 ฿99.0
-
Banana (1kg)
-
$1.69 ฿57.1
-
Oranges (1kg)
-
$2.25 ฿75.8
-
Tomato (1kg)
$5.70 €5.12
$2.08 ฿70.1
174.04%
Potato (1kg)
-
$1.51 ฿51.0
-
Onion (1kg)
$4.42 €3.97
$1.38 ฿46.56
220.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 €2.02
$1.07 ฿35.99
110.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.52 ฿17.52
267.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.15 €10.02
$4.20 ฿142
165.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.15 €10.91
$18.79 ฿634
-35.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.44 €3.09
$1.82 ฿61.5
89.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 €3.02
$2.84 ฿95.9
18.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.52 €2.27
$1.45 ฿49.03
73.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.66 €38.33
$56.7 ฿1,913
-24.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.02 ฿102
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.02 ฿34.36
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.69 ฿125
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 €1.73
$1.47 ฿49.81
30.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$147 €132
$96.4 ฿3,254
52.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.33 €15.57
$11.26 ฿380
53.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.64 €39.20
$16.85 ฿569
158.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.02 €33.25
$67.2 ฿2,270
-44.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.24 €11.89
$10.73 ฿362
23.39%
Cinema Ticket
$11.30 €10.15
$7.50 ฿253
50.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$476 ฿16.1K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$144 €129
$62.4 ฿2,106
130.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$28.41 ฿959
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 €112
$94.3 ฿3,184
32.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 €99.4
$85.8 ฿2,898
28.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$907 €815
$716 ฿24.2K
26.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$662 €594
$491 ฿16.6K
34.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 €1,347
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-22.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,906 €1,712
$1,431 ฿48.3K
33.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint-Denis
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,126 €1,910
$502 ฿17.0K
323.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5.57
-

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

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$491
Groceries & Markets
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$266
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$124
Clothing & Footwear
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$122
Eating Out
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$122
Sport & Entertainment
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$82
Getting Around
Saint-Denis
–
Phuket
$71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $907 in Saint-Denis and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Denis pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Saint-Denis vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇪 Saint-Denis
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:28 12:28 AM
03:28 3:28 AM
3 h ahead of Saint-Denis
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
154,765 Capital
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint-Denis Phuket 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint-Denis
  • 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-Denis vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Saint-Denis?
Phuket is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Saint-Denis or Phuket?
Average pay in Saint-Denis is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Saint-Denis and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $907 in Saint-Denis versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Saint-Denis or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Saint-Denis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Saint-Denis runs roughly 25% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Saint-Denis or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,791 in Saint-Denis, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint-Denis. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Saint-Denis or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Saint-Denis on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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