Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Simpsonville, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Simpsonville, SC
Learn more

Simpsonville, SC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Simpsonville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,229

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Simpsonville, SC $2,229
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,292 in Simpsonville, SC versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Simpsonville, SC $3,292
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Simpsonville, SC versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Simpsonville, SC $4,356
Phuket $2,845

Living in Simpsonville, SC is roughly 84% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Simpsonville, SC is 65% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.90 $17.90

$4.40 ฿147

306.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

134.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$8.76 ฿293

25.91%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$2.83 ฿94.5

86.93%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$0.90 ฿30.14

203.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.47 ฿15.56

327.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.55 ฿85.2

141.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.62 $7.62

$3.83 ฿128

98.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.73 ฿57.7

-47.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.47 ฿49.11

182.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.51 ฿50.6

112.58%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.17 ฿72.7

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 $14.99

$19.70 ฿658

-23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$3.34 ฿112

280.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$11.16 ฿373

60.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.85 ฿95.1

90.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.70 ฿56.9

-12.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.19 ฿73.3

105.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.05 ฿68.4

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.45 ฿48.57

153.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.38 ฿46.16

121.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.07 ฿35.69

92.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.51 ฿16.91

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.46 $8.46

$4.26 ฿142

98.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$18.58 ฿621

-19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.78 ฿59.7

-8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.85 ฿95.2

-37.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.01 ฿101

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.06 ฿35.34

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.91 $17.91

$3.86 ฿129

363.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.45 ฿48.45

-38.62%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-1.50%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.49%

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

$145 $145

$96.4 ฿3,221

50.26%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$11.04 ฿369

503.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$17.14 ฿573

364.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.7 $87.7

$52.2 ฿1,744

67.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 $15.29

$7.81 ฿261

95.77%

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

$1,463 $1,463

$556 ฿18.6K

163.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K $10.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-13.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.84 $49.84

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.47 $35.47

$28.69 ฿959

23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$95.4 ฿3,187

-7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$88.0 ฿2,940

50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$737 ฿24.6K

73.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$462 ฿15.5K

107.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 $1,803

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-13.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$1,201 ฿40.1K

24.85%

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)

$4,369 $4,369

$501 ฿16.7K

772.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.57

20.29%

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

Last update for Simpsonville, SC: 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

Simpsonville, SC

$958 43%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 51.7% $496

Groceries & Markets

Simpsonville, SC

$409 18.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 34.4% $141

Eating Out

Simpsonville, SC

$305 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.2% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Simpsonville, SC

$291 13.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 57.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Simpsonville, SC

$137 6.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Simpsonville, SC

$118 5.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 42.7% $50

Getting Around

Simpsonville, SC

$11 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 271% $29

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 $1,280 in Simpsonville, SC and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Simpsonville, SC pays 773% 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: $76.0 in Simpsonville, SC vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Simpsonville, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

18:43 6:43 PM

11 h ahead of Simpsonville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,234

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Simpsonville, SC Phuket 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Simpsonville, SC
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

Simpsonville, SC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 773% higher in Simpsonville, SC, 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: $1,280 in Simpsonville, SC versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Simpsonville, SC 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 $76.0 in Simpsonville, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Simpsonville, SC. 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 Simpsonville, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Simpsonville, SC 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 84% less than in Simpsonville, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.