Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sumter, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,078 in Sumter, SC, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sumter, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,078 in Sumter, SC versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sumter, SC $2,078
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,991 in Sumter, SC versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sumter, SC $2,991
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,903 in Sumter, SC versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sumter, SC $3,903
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sumter, SC is roughly 72% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sumter, SC is 53% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$4.40 ฿147

310.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 $54.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

67.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 $10.88

$8.76 ฿293

24.20%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$2.83 ฿94.5

100.71%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$0.90 ฿30.14

105.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.47 ฿15.56

193.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.55 ฿85.2

136.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.83 ฿128

84.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.73 ฿57.7

-43.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.47 ฿49.11

178.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.51 ฿50.6

115.23%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.17 ฿72.7

98.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.60 $16.60

$19.70 ฿658

-15.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.62 $15.62

$3.34 ฿112

367.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$11.16 ฿373

60.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.85 ฿95.1

91.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.70 ฿56.9

-16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.19 ฿73.3

105.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.05 ฿68.4

127.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.45 ฿48.57

157.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.38 ฿46.16

128.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.07 ฿35.69

85.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.51 ฿16.91

362.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.52 $8.52

$4.26 ฿142

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$18.58 ฿621

-18.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.78 ฿59.7

30.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.85 ฿95.2

30.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.01 ฿101

-2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.06 ฿35.34

73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.85 $29.85

$3.86 ฿129

673.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.45 ฿48.45

-41.38%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

32.08%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-7.00%

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

$174 $174

$96.4 ฿3,221

80.54%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$11.04 ฿369

510.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 $82.2

$17.14 ฿573

379.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.83 $14.83

$52.2 ฿1,744

-71.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.05 $5.05

$11.16 ฿373

-54.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 $7.04

$7.81 ฿261

-9.86%

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

$1,499 $1,499

$556 ฿18.6K

169.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

111.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.75 $49.75

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.91 $37.91

$28.69 ฿959

32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 $95.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$88.0 ฿2,940

58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 $1,030

$737 ฿24.6K

39.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 $823

$462 ฿15.5K

78.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 $1,314

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 $1,202

$1,201 ฿40.1K

0.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,499 $1,499

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-57.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 $1,504

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-40.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,145 $4,145

$501 ฿16.7K

727.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

5.57

16.34%

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

Last update for Sumter, 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

Sumter, SC

$823 39.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 43.8% $361

Groceries & Markets

Sumter, SC

$443 21.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 39.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sumter, SC

$324 15.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 61.5% $199

Eating Out

Sumter, SC

$302 14.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 59.9% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Sumter, SC

$145 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sumter, SC

$29 1.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 134% $39

Getting Around

Sumter, SC

$12 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 225% $27

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 $1,030 in Sumter, SC and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sumter, SC pays 728% 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: $54.0 in Sumter, SC vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $443 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sumter, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

11 h ahead of Sumter, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,159

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

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Between locations

Sumter, SC Phuket 15,360 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sumter, 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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 728% higher in Sumter, 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: $1,030 in Sumter, SC versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,499 in Sumter, 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 $54.0 in Sumter, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,078 in Sumter, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sumter, 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 Sumter, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sumter, 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 72% less than in Sumter, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.