Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Simpson Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $32,100 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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Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,879

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,879 in Simpson Bay versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Simpson Bay $3,879
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,586 in Simpson Bay versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Simpson Bay $6,586
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,293 in Simpson Bay versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Simpson Bay $9,293
Phuket $2,867

Living in Simpson Bay is roughly 221% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Simpson Bay is 187% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 ANG 34.54

$4.58 ฿153

321.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 ANG 236

$32.48 ฿1,086

305.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 ANG 23.44

$8.55 ฿286

53.22%

Cappuccino

$4.45 ANG 7.96

$2.72 ฿91.0

63.60%

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

$2.96 ANG 5.29

$0.94 ฿31.25

214.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ANG 5.23

$0.49 ฿16.39

495.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 ANG 9.76

$2.59 ฿86.6

110.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 ANG 7.37

$3.83 ฿128

7.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.09 ANG 7.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

135.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 ANG 4.92

$1.43 ฿47.82

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 ANG 5.25

$1.53 ฿51.0

91.50%

Eggs

$4.50 ANG 8.06

$2.17 ฿72.7

107.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.59 ANG 44.02

$19.15 ฿640

28.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.46 ANG 24.10

$3.30 ฿110

307.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ANG 30.80

$11.14 ฿372

54.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ANG 7.65

$2.95 ฿98.5

45.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.51 ANG 6.29

$1.68 ฿56.1

108.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 ANG 11.72

$2.30 ฿76.8

184.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.08

$2.13 ฿71.3

138.03%

Potato (1kg)

$4.02 ANG 7.20

$1.53 ฿51.1

162.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ANG 6.29

$1.36 ฿45.55

158.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ANG 5.23

$1.12 ฿37.44

160.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ANG 2.58

$0.55 ฿18.24

161.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 ANG 26.62

$18.19 ฿608

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ANG 3.05

$2.79 ฿93.3

-39.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 ANG 5.45

$2.22 ฿74.1

37.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.20 ANG 27.21

$2.91 ฿97.3

422.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ANG 2.34

$1.49 ฿49.85

-12.08%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$506 ANG 906

$99.4 ฿3,321

409.31%

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

$34.60 ANG 61.9

$11.28 ฿377

206.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.9 ANG 159

$17.36 ฿580

412.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.5 ANG 135

$52.3 ฿1,747

44.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ANG 14.27

$7.57 ฿253

5.28%

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

$753 ANG 1,348

$558 ฿18.7K

34.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

3.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.79 ANG 89.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

-20.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 ANG 70.3

$28.58 ฿955

37.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ANG 181

$96.1 ฿3,213

5.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ANG 107

$88.1 ฿2,943

-32.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,321 ANG 4,155

$729 ฿24.4K

218.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 ANG 4,020

$460 ฿15.4K

388.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,924 ANG 10.6K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

182.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,759 ANG 10.3K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

371.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Groceries & Markets

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Eating Out

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Simpson Bay

–

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,321 in Simpson Bay and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $132 in Simpson Bay vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

11 h ahead of Simpson Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Simpson Bay Phuket 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Simpson Bay
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

Simpson Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 221% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,818 in Simpson Bay and $1,811 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: $2,321 in Simpson Bay versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $753 in Simpson Bay versus $558 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 $132 in Simpson Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Simpson Bay. 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 Simpson Bay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Simpson Bay 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 221% less than in Simpson Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.