Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spartanburg, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Spartanburg, SC
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Spartanburg, SC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Spartanburg, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Spartanburg, SC $2,299
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,394 in Spartanburg, SC versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Spartanburg, SC $3,394
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,488 in Spartanburg, SC versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Spartanburg, SC $4,488
Phuket $2,867

Living in Spartanburg, SC is roughly 90% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Spartanburg, SC is 70% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 $17.24

$4.58 ฿153

276.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$32.48 ฿1,086

86.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$8.55 ฿286

15.09%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$2.72 ฿91.0

109.93%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$0.94 ฿31.25

126.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.49 ฿16.39

379.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.59 ฿86.6

95.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.83 ฿128

84.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.74 ฿58.1

-42.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.43 ฿47.82

145.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$1.53 ฿51.0

269.93%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

76.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$19.15 ฿640

-31.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$3.30 ฿110

291.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$11.14 ฿372

48.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.95 ฿98.5

10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.68 ฿56.1

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.30 ฿76.8

69.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.13 ฿71.3

188.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.53 ฿51.1

75.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.36 ฿45.55

172.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.12 ฿37.44

99.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.55 ฿18.24

436.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.26 ฿142

112.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.77 $16.77

$18.19 ฿608

-7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.79 ฿93.3

148.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 $119

$22.06 ฿737

440.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.49 ฿49.85

-42.28%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

29.20%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-0.85%

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

$177 $177

$99.4 ฿3,321

78.22%

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

$93.5 $93.5

$11.28 ฿377

729.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$17.36 ฿580

254.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.87 $26.87

$52.3 ฿1,747

-48.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$7.57 ฿253

61.56%

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

$942 $942

$558 ฿18.7K

68.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.14 $41.14

$62.9 ฿2,102

-34.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 $35.13

$28.58 ฿955

22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$96.1 ฿3,213

-16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$88.1 ฿2,943

33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 $1,248

$729 ฿24.4K

71.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 $959

$460 ฿15.4K

108.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 $1,588

$1,222 ฿40.8K

29.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-47.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 $1,821

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-26.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 $3,464

$493 ฿16.5K

602.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.22

5.57

29.62%

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

Last update for Spartanburg, SC: 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

Spartanburg, SC

$959 41.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 52% $499

Groceries & Markets

Spartanburg, SC

$421 * 18.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 36.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spartanburg, SC

$332 14.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 61.5% $204

Eating Out

Spartanburg, SC

$293 12.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 58.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Spartanburg, SC

$123 5.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 0.6% $0.7

Getting Around

Spartanburg, SC

$119 * 5.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 67.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Spartanburg, SC

$51 2.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 31.3% $16

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 $1,248 in Spartanburg, SC and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Spartanburg, SC pays 603% 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: $61.0 in Spartanburg, SC vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spartanburg, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

11 h ahead of Spartanburg, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,013

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Spartanburg, SC Phuket 15,250 km ≈ 20 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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 603% higher in Spartanburg, 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: $1,248 in Spartanburg, SC versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $942 in Spartanburg, SC versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Spartanburg, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Spartanburg, 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 Spartanburg, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Spartanburg, 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 90% less than in Spartanburg, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.