Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stillwater, MN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,884 in Stillwater, MN, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Stillwater, MN
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Stillwater, MN Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Stillwater, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,884 in Stillwater, MN versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Stillwater, MN $2,884
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,047 in Stillwater, MN versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Stillwater, MN $4,047
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,209 in Stillwater, MN versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Stillwater, MN $5,209
Phuket $2,867

Living in Stillwater, MN is roughly 139% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stillwater, MN is 114% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 $17.57

$4.58 ฿153

283.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$32.48 ฿1,086

149.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$8.55 ฿286

41.75%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$2.72 ฿91.0

115.07%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$0.94 ฿31.25

227.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.49 ฿16.39

363.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$2.59 ฿86.6

164.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$3.83 ฿128

109.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.74 ฿58.1

-48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.43 ฿47.82

152.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$1.53 ฿51.0

324.18%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$2.17 ฿72.7

65.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$19.15 ฿640

-46.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$3.30 ฿110

310.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$11.14 ฿372

69.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.95 ฿98.5

51.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.68 ฿56.1

7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.30 ฿76.8

98.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.13 ฿71.3

146.48%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.53 ฿51.1

181.70%

Onion (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.36 ฿45.55

205.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.12 ฿37.44

104.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.55 ฿18.24

370.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.94 $12.94

$4.26 ฿142

203.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$18.19 ฿608

-13.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.74 ฿58.2

64.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 $5.78

$2.79 ฿93.3

107.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 $82.9

$22.06 ฿737

275.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.91 ฿97.3

73.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.01 ฿33.79

71.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.82 $23.82

$3.83 ฿128

521.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.49 ฿49.85

-32.21%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

35.26%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-4.68%

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

$131 $131

$99.4 ฿3,321

32.02%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$11.28 ฿377

385.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$17.36 ฿580

284.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$52.3 ฿1,747

141.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.50 $34.50

$10.85 ฿362

217.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$7.57 ฿253

105.28%

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

$1,383 $1,383

$558 ฿18.7K

147.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

211.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$62.9 ฿2,102

-6.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.66 $44.66

$28.58 ฿955

56.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 $90.5

$96.1 ฿3,213

-5.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.40 $49.40

$88.1 ฿2,943

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 $1,492

$729 ฿24.4K

104.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$460 ฿15.4K

228.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 $2,219

$2,096 ฿70.0K

5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,222 ฿40.8K

70.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,067 $3,067

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-11.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,899 $2,899

$2,489 ฿83.2K

16.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,855 $6,855

$493 ฿16.5K

1290.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Stillwater, MN: 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

Stillwater, MN

$1.5K 52.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 69.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Stillwater, MN

$437 15.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38.8% $169

Eating Out

Stillwater, MN

$319 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 62% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stillwater, MN

$253 8.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 49.3% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Stillwater, MN

$158 5.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 57.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Stillwater, MN

$109 3.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.3% $15

Getting Around

Stillwater, MN

$97 * 3.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 59.7% $58

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 $1,492 in Stillwater, MN and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stillwater, MN pays 1290% 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: $81.0 in Stillwater, MN vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stillwater, MN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

06:42 6:42 AM

12 h ahead of Stillwater, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,818

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Stillwater, MN Phuket 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Stillwater, MN
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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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1290% higher in Stillwater, MN, 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: $1,492 in Stillwater, MN versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,383 in Stillwater, MN 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 63% higher in Stillwater, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,884 in Stillwater, MN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stillwater, 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 Stillwater, MN, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Stillwater, MN 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 139% less than in Stillwater, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.