Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samana

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $712 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Samana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $712 in Samana.

Phuket $1,294
Samana $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,168 in Samana.

Phuket $2,204
Samana $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,625 in Samana.

Phuket $3,115
Samana $1,625

Living in Phuket is roughly 82% more expensive than in Samana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Samana 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.05 DOP 484

-45.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$41.69 DOP 2,504

-22.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.03 DOP 422

23.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.74 DOP 105

56.32%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.67 DOP 40.26

38.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.40 DOP 24.10

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.39 DOP 144

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.87 DOP 232

-6.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.15 DOP 69.2

51.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.69 DOP 101

-14.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.53 DOP 92.0

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.42 DOP 85.2

52.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.07 DOP 364

214.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.50 DOP 210

-2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$4.76 DOP 286

128.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.66 DOP 220

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.44 DOP 86.5

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.34 DOP 200

-34.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.84 DOP 110

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.44 DOP 207

-57.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.91 DOP 175

-52.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.93 DOP 55.9

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.63 DOP 97.7

-66.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.82 DOP 290

-8.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.30 DOP 499

119.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.96 DOP 178

-40.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.44 DOP 207

-16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.81 DOP 48.56

79.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.43 DOP 146

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$3.19 DOP 191

-75.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.20 DOP 71.8

24.17%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$14.7K DOP 882.7K

82.90%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$25.8K DOP 1.5M

2.24%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$92.2 DOP 5,539

6.05%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$16.54 DOP 993

-31.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$37.91 DOP 2,277

-54.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.81 DOP 289

54.47%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$149 DOP 8,928

256.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$5,316 DOP 319.3K

253.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$25.70 DOP 1,544

139.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$44.73 DOP 2,686

-36.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$62.0 DOP 3,726

54.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$65.7 DOP 3,948

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$131 DOP 7,840

452.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$97.1 DOP 5,834

423.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$325 DOP 19.5K

499.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$242 DOP 14.6K

476.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Samana

$97 13.6% 80.9% $412

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Samana

$217 30.5% 18.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Samana

$147 20.6% 16.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Samana

$89 12.5% 27.3% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Samana

$130 18.3% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Samana

$9.6 * 1.4% 88.4% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Samana

$22 * 3% 67.3% $44

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 $721 in Phuket and $131 in Samana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Samana. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $217, with Samana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Samana

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

108,179

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samana 16,720 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samana

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

Phuket vs Samana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samana is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,068 in Samana 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: $721 in Phuket versus $131 in Samana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $149 in Samana. 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 versus $42 in Samana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $712 in Samana versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Samana but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Samana 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.