Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,802 in Saint John’s, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,802

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,802 in Saint John’s versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Saint John's $1,802
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,835 in Saint John’s versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Saint John's $2,835
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,867 in Saint John’s versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Saint John's $3,867
Phuket $3,154

Living in Saint John’s is roughly 41% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint John’s is 32% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 EC$45.68

$4.47 ฿151

278.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 EC$152

$32.41 ฿1,092

74.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 EC$24.81

$8.81 ฿297

4.31%

Cappuccino

$3.62 EC$9.77

$2.83 ฿95.3

27.92%

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

$2.01 EC$5.42

$0.87 ฿29.37

131.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 EC$3.19

$0.49 ฿16.64

140.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 EC$6.44

$2.56 ฿86.2

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 EC$12.05

$3.68 ฿124

21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 EC$5.86

$1.66 ฿55.9

30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 EC$7.37

$1.46 ฿49.25

86.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 EC$4.90

$1.50 ฿50.4

21.33%

Eggs

$6.73 EC$18.16

$2.09 ฿70.4

222.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 EC$23.61

$19.07 ฿642

-54.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 EC$20.59

$3.30 ฿111

130.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 EC$32.43

$10.91 ฿368

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.64 EC$17.92

$2.93 ฿98.7

126.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 EC$6.79

$1.69 ฿56.9

48.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.33 EC$22.49

$2.25 ฿75.7

270.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.01 EC$21.63

$2.08 ฿70.0

285.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 EC$7.58

$1.51 ฿50.9

86.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.82

$1.38 ฿46.47

110.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 EC$6.86

$1.07 ฿35.91

137.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 EC$4.12

$0.52 ฿17.49

194.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$5.39 EC$14.55

$18.79 ฿633

-71.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 EC$5.20

$1.82 ฿61.4

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 EC$9.03

$2.84 ฿95.7

17.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 EC$4.25

$1.47 ฿49.70

6.80%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

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

$257 EC$693

$96.4 ฿3,247

166.57%

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

$40.33 EC$109

$11.26 ฿380

258.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.2 EC$216

$16.85 ฿568

375.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 EC$172

$67.2 ฿2,266

-5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 EC$17.11

$7.50 ฿253

-15.47%

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

$187 EC$506

$476 ฿16.0K

-60.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,860 EC$5,023

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-83.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.10 EC$133

$62.4 ฿2,102

-21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 EC$202

$94.3 ฿3,178

-20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 EC$2,839

$716 ฿24.1K

46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 EC$1,830

$491 ฿16.5K

38.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 EC$4,448

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-14.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 EC$4,057

$1,431 ฿48.2K

5.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,383 EC$3,734

$502 ฿16.9K

175.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.57

-1.26%

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

Last update for Saint John's: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Saint John's

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,052 in Saint John’s and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John’s pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Saint John’s vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

17:37 5:37 PM

11 h ahead of Saint John's

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,926 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John's Phuket 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John's
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 John's vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Saint John’s is about 2.8 times higher, 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: $1,052 in Saint John’s versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $187 in Saint John’s 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 $56 in Saint John’s. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,802 in Saint John’s, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint John’s. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

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

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