Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City Center, FL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,492 in Sun City Center, FL, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Sun City Center, FL
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Sun City Center, FL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sun City Center, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,492

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,492 in Sun City Center, FL versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sun City Center, FL $2,492
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,720 in Sun City Center, FL versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sun City Center, FL $3,720
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,948 in Sun City Center, FL versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sun City Center, FL $4,948
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sun City Center, FL is roughly 95% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sun City Center, FL is 83% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 $22.50

$4.47 ฿151

403.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 $69.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

113.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$8.81 ฿297

35.07%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.83 ฿95.4

96.11%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$0.87 ฿29.42

179.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.49 ฿16.66

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.56 ฿86.3

96.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.68 ฿124

100.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.66 ฿56.0

-40.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.46 ฿49.32

132.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.50 ฿50.5

132.67%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$2.09 ฿70.5

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 $12.07

$19.07 ฿643

-36.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$3.30 ฿111

305.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.04 $19.04

$10.91 ฿368

74.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.93 ฿98.9

76.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.69 ฿57.0

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.25 ฿75.8

152.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.08 ฿70.1

54.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.51 ฿51.0

23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.38 ฿46.54

134.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.07 ฿35.97

146.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

$0.52 ฿17.51

151.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$4.20 ฿142

118.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.15 $13.15

$18.79 ฿634

-30.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.82 ฿61.5

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.84 ฿95.9

72.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.45 ฿49.00

46.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$56.7 ฿1,912

6.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.02 ฿102

18.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.02 ฿34.34

43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.67 $29.67

$3.69 ฿125

704.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 ฿49.78

-30.61%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.77%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-15.46%

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

$119 $119

$96.4 ฿3,252

23.93%

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

$37.81 $37.81

$11.26 ฿380

235.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$16.85 ฿569

262.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.79 $44.79

$67.2 ฿2,269

-33.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$7.50 ฿253

98.93%

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

$1,038 $1,038

$476 ฿16.1K

118.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K $18.3K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

62.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.17 $37.17

$62.4 ฿2,105

-40.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.66 $40.66

$28.41 ฿959

43.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 $87.3

$94.3 ฿3,182

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 $184

$85.8 ฿2,896

114.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 $1,462

$716 ฿24.2K

104.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 $1,234

$491 ฿16.6K

151.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 $2,522

$1,927 ฿65.0K

30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 $2,089

$1,431 ฿48.3K

46.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,247 $3,247

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-22.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,501 $2,501

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-17.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Sun City Center, FL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City Center, FL

$1.2K 49.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.2% $744

Groceries & Markets

Sun City Center, FL

$388 15.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31.4% $122

Eating Out

Sun City Center, FL

$339 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.1% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City Center, FL

$218 8.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City Center, FL

$157 6.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.3% $35

Getting Around

Sun City Center, FL

$80 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 11.7% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City Center, FL

$75 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Sun City Center, FL and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Sun City Center, FL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sun City Center, FL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

12 h ahead of Sun City Center, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,258

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sun City Center, FL Phuket 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sun City Center, 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

Sun City Center, FL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% 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 $3,738 in Sun City Center, FL and $1,917 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: $1,462 in Sun City Center, FL versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,038 in Sun City Center, FL versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Sun City Center, FL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,492 in Sun City Center, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sun City Center, FL. 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 49% less than in Sun City Center, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.