Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stuart, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,242 in Stuart, FL, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stuart, FL, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Stuart, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$3,242
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,242 in Stuart, FL versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Stuart, FL $3,242
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,428 in Stuart, FL versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Stuart, FL $4,428
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,614 in Stuart, FL versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Stuart, FL $5,614
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Stuart, FL is roughly 154% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stuart, FL is 138% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.21 $20.21
$4.47 ฿151
352.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 $61.0
$32.41 ฿1,094
88.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 $10.00
$8.81 ฿297
13.51%
Cappuccino
$4.70 $4.70
$2.83 ฿95.5
66.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 $3.01
$0.87 ฿29.43
245.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 $2.28
$0.49 ฿16.67
365.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.14 $7.14
$2.56 ฿86.4
178.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 $6.79
$3.68 ฿124
84.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.66 ฿56.0
-23.49%
White Bread (500g)
$3.96 $3.96
$1.46 ฿49.35
171.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.26 $4.26
$1.50 ฿50.6
184.00%
Eggs
$5.19 $5.19
$2.09 ฿70.5
148.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.29 $16.29
$19.07 ฿644
-14.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.53 $14.53
$3.30 ฿111
340.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 $11.63
$10.91 ฿368
6.60%
Apples (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$2.93 ฿99.0
80.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.69 ฿57.1
-1.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.69 $3.69
$2.25 ฿75.8
64.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.42 $4.42
$2.08 ฿70.1
112.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 $2.07
$1.51 ฿51.0
37.09%
Onion (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$1.38 ฿46.56
136.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 $2.31
$1.07 ฿35.99
115.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.52 ฿17.52
294.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.44 $9.44
$4.20 ฿142
124.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.16 $13.16
$18.79 ฿634
-29.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 $2.39
$1.82 ฿61.5
31.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 $3.10
$2.84 ฿95.9
9.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 $3.01
$3.02 ฿102
-0.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 $2.00
$1.02 ฿34.36
96.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.80 $23.80
$3.69 ฿125
544.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$1.47 ฿49.81
-41.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K $35.1K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
31.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K $24.7K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-7.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$166 $166
$96.4 ฿3,254
72.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.46 $40.46
$11.26 ฿380
259.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 $55.8
$16.85 ฿569
231.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.01 $29.01
$67.2 ฿2,270
-56.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.55 $11.55
$7.50 ฿253
54.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,835 $1,835
$476 ฿16.1K
285.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.7K $39.7K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
252.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.10 $27.10
$62.4 ฿2,106
-56.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.92 $39.92
$28.41 ฿959
40.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.6 $72.6
$94.3 ฿3,184
-22.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.4 $90.4
$85.8 ฿2,898
5.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 $2,518
$716 ฿24.2K
251.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,081 $2,081
$491 ฿16.6K
323.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,098 $4,098
$1,927 ฿65.1K
112.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,060 $3,060
$1,431 ฿48.3K
113.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,281 $3,281
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-21.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,209 $3,209
$3,045 ฿102.8K
5.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stuart, FL
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,823 $3,823
$502 ฿17.0K
661.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.77
5.57
3.59%

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

Last update for Stuart, FL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stuart, FL
$2.1K
Phuket
$491 76.4% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Stuart, FL
$411
Phuket
$266 35.2% $145
Eating Out
Stuart, FL
$319
Phuket
$122 61.8% $197
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stuart, FL
$262
Phuket
$124 52.6% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Stuart, FL
$104
Phuket
$122 17.7% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Stuart, FL
$52
Phuket
$82 57.8% $30
Getting Around
Stuart, FL
$13 *
Phuket
$71 442% $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 $2,518 in Stuart, FL and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stuart, FL pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Stuart, FL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Stuart, FL
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
17:26 5:26 PM
11 h ahead of Stuart, FL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,155
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stuart, FL Phuket 16,110 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stuart, FL
  • 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
Stuart, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Stuart, FL?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Stuart, FL or Phuket?
Average pay in Stuart, FL is about 7.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Stuart, FL and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,518 in Stuart, FL versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,835 in Stuart, FL versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Stuart, FL or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $61 in Stuart, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Stuart, FL or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,242 in Stuart, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stuart, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Stuart, FL or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Stuart, FL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Stuart, FL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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