Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which is a member of Micrococcacease family, is one of the most dangerous disease-causing bacteria. S. aureus is also the biggest factor causing hospital-acquired infections worldwide, as well as life-threatening infections such as meningitis, septicaemia, and suppurating wounds in the human body. Today, there have been various phenotypic and/or genotypic methods for the detection of both S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains. Although genotypic methods have been commonly used for certain and rapid results, they are quite expensive and rarely available in all hospitals; they need costly and complicated devices and expert use. To address these issues, researchers have recently developed nanomaterials (NMs) and organic molecules-based phenotypic methods for rapid, sensitive, and economical detection of S. aureus and MRSA. We focus on evaluating colorimetric assays using NMs and pH indicator-containing tests for the rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of S. aureus and MRSA, and specifically target their application in both clinical and environmental contexts.