Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $607 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
San Antonio, Paraguay
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
San Antonio
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$607
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Antonio

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 San Antonio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $607 in San Antonio.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • San Antonio $607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,032 in San Antonio.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • San Antonio $1,032

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,458 in San Antonio.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • San Antonio $1,458

Living in Phuket is roughly 111% more expensive than in San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, San Antonio 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$6.80 ₲40.6K
-34.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$43.91 ₲261.9K
-26.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.77 ₲40.4K
30.13%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.52 ₲21.0K
-19.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$1.08 ₲6,459
-19.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.60 ₲3,595
-18.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.04 ₲12.2K
25.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.80 ₲10.7K
104.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.31 ₲7,813
26.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$1.51 ₲9,036
-3.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.32 ₲7,853
13.64%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.39 ₲14.2K
-12.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$9.94 ₲59.3K
91.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$5.27 ₲31.4K
-37.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$10.22 ₲61.0K
6.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$2.98 ₲17.8K
-1.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.32 ₲7,846
28.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.17 ₲7,002
92.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$2.41 ₲14.4K
-13.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.35 ₲8,060
11.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$1.30 ₲7,725
6.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.88 ₲5,240
21.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.78 ₲4,627
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.41 ₲14.4K
74.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$9.28 ₲55.3K
102.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.37 ₲8,177
32.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.77 ₲10.6K
60.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.52 ₲9,072
98.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$1.52 ₲9,059
-32.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$10.39 ₲62.0K
-64.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.27 ₲7,568
15.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$17.1K ₲101.7M
57.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$30.5K ₲181.8M
-12.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$50.7 ₲302.3K
90.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$17.70 ₲105.6K
-36.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$22.10 ₲131.8K
-23.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$8.92 ₲53.2K
-15.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$184 ₲1.1M
158.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$5,737 ₲34.2M
96.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$65.0 ₲387.9K
-4.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$56.1 ₲334.9K
-49.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$105 ₲627.7K
-10.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$71.2 ₲424.6K
20.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
San Antonio
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10.5
-46.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
San Antonio
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
San Antonio
$218 18.2% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
San Antonio
$90 27.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
San Antonio
$134 9.9% $12
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
San Antonio
$138 13% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
San Antonio
$18 * 78.3% $64
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
San Antonio
$9.1 * 87.1% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in San Antonio. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $218, with San Antonio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇾 San Antonio
🕒 Local time
05:39 5:39 AM
19:39 7:39 PM
10 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
68,127
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket San Antonio 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Antonio cheaper than Phuket?
San Antonio is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $910 in San Antonio 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $184 in San Antonio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in San Antonio?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in San Antonio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in San Antonio?
At $607 in San Antonio versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Antonio but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Antonio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in San Antonio?
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.

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