Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Louis, MO and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,638 in St. Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in St. Louis, MO
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St. Louis, MO Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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St. Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,638 in St. Louis, MO versus $1,294 in Phuket.

St. Louis, MO $2,638
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,840 in St. Louis, MO versus $2,204 in Phuket.

St. Louis, MO $3,840
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,042 in St. Louis, MO versus $3,115 in Phuket.

St. Louis, MO $5,042
Phuket $3,115

Living in St. Louis, MO is roughly 104% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Louis, MO is 95% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 $18.72

$4.39 ฿148

326.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$32.31 ฿1,086

135.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 $11.18

$8.70 ฿293

28.51%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$2.72 ฿91.6

92.28%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$0.93 ฿31.28

168.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.50 ฿16.79

294.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.53 ฿85.1

135.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.63 ฿122

95.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.74 ฿58.5

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.45 ฿48.77

140.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.50 ฿50.5

191.33%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$2.17 ฿73.0

88.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$19.09 ฿642

-35.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$3.40 ฿114

242.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$10.90 ฿366

39.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.94 ฿98.9

65.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.69 ฿56.9

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.19 ฿73.8

97.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.12 ฿71.4

117.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.46 ฿49.03

95.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.37 ฿45.99

100.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ฿36.17

87.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.55 ฿18.34

281.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$4.43 ฿149

113.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 $14.04

$18.25 ฿614

-23.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.77 ฿59.6

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.88 ฿96.8

17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 ฿48.66

38.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$54.9 ฿1,845

7.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.51 ฿50.9

137.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.78 ฿26.08

102.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.61 $29.61

$3.84 ฿129

671.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.49 ฿50.0

-40.27%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

10.78%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-3.23%

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

$184 $184

$97.8 ฿3,288

88.31%

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

$53.0 $53.0

$11.29 ฿380

369.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$17.19 ฿578

299.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.51 $43.51

$68.3 ฿2,297

-36.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 $13.76

$7.43 ฿250

85.20%

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

$1,306 $1,306

$530 ฿17.8K

146.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

24.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$61.7 ฿2,073

-17.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 $39.43

$28.25 ฿950

39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$96.0 ฿3,228

-8.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$86.8 ฿2,919

27.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$721 ฿24.2K

126.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$509 ฿17.1K

167.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,950 ฿65.6K

36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,397 ฿47.0K

57.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-34.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-24.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for St. Louis, MO: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Louis, MO

$1.4K 51.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 62.6% $850

Groceries & Markets

St. Louis, MO

$385 14.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 30.7% $118

Eating Out

St. Louis, MO

$308 11.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.2% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Louis, MO

$306 11.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 58.7% $180

Clothing & Footwear

St. Louis, MO

$130 4.9%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 5.8% $7.5

Getting Around

St. Louis, MO

$79 3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 15.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

St. Louis, MO

$71 2.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 17.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,632 in St. Louis, MO and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in St. Louis, MO vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Louis, MO

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

13 h ahead of St. Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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St. Louis, MO Phuket 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

St. Louis, MO vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,957 in St. Louis, MO and $1,940 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: $1,632 in St. Louis, MO versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,306 in St. Louis, MO versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in St. Louis, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,638 in St. Louis, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St. Louis, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in St. Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.