Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Saint Paul, MN $2,445
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Saint Paul, MN versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Saint Paul, MN $3,672
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,900 in Saint Paul, MN versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Saint Paul, MN $4,900
Phuket $3,154

Living in Saint Paul, MN is roughly 91% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Paul, MN is 80% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 $15.66

$4.47 ฿151

250.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$32.41 ฿1,092

109.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$8.81 ฿297

14.30%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$2.83 ฿95.3

77.74%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$0.87 ฿29.37

255.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.49 ฿16.64

428.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.56 ฿86.2

135.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.68 ฿124

100.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.66 ฿55.9

-40.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.46 ฿49.25

160.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.50 ฿50.4

122.00%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.09 ฿70.4

41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$19.07 ฿642

-50.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$3.30 ฿111

192.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$10.91 ฿368

20.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.93 ฿98.7

65.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.69 ฿56.9

-34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.25 ฿75.7

161.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.08 ฿70.0

136.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.51 ฿50.9

152.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.38 ฿46.47

152.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.07 ฿35.91

91.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.52 ฿17.49

236.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 $12.68

$4.20 ฿142

201.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$18.79 ฿633

-22.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.82 ฿61.4

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.84 ฿95.7

20.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.45 ฿48.93

35.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$56.7 ฿1,909

83.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.02 ฿102

-15.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.02 ฿34.29

49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.02 $31.02

$3.69 ฿124

740.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 ฿49.70

-29.93%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

1.18%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-0.41%

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

$232 $232

$96.4 ฿3,247

141.09%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$11.26 ฿380

349.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$16.85 ฿568

284.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 $29.74

$67.2 ฿2,266

-55.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 $8.50

$10.73 ฿361

-20.78%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 $13.07

$7.50 ฿253

74.27%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$476 ฿16.0K

211.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

149.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.01 $41.01

$62.4 ฿2,102

-34.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 $40.23

$28.41 ฿957

41.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 $82.1

$94.3 ฿3,178

-12.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$85.8 ฿2,892

28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 $1,444

$716 ฿24.1K

101.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 $1,153

$491 ฿16.5K

134.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$1,927 ฿64.9K

38.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,431 ฿48.2K

49.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 $2,631

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-37.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 $1,949

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-35.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 $4,256

$502 ฿16.9K

747.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: 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 Paul, MN

$1.2K 47.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 57.4% $662

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$360 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$348 14.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.2% $223

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$283 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57.1% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$123 5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1% $1.2

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 42% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$56 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 47.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Paul, MN pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Saint Paul, MN vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

12 h ahead of Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Saint Paul, MN Phuket 14,030 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Paul, MN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 48% 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 Paul, MN is about 8.5 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: $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Saint Paul, MN versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Saint Paul, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saint Paul, MN. 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 Paul, MN, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Saint Paul, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.