Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,683 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
Learn more

San Francisco Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,683 in San Francisco.

Phuket $1,294
San Francisco $1,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,673 in San Francisco.

Phuket $2,204
San Francisco $2,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,662 in San Francisco.

Phuket $3,115
San Francisco $3,662

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, San Francisco is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$9.66 ₡4,345

-54.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$61.6 ₡27.7K

-47.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$10.85 ₡4,878

-19.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.48 ₡2,015

-39.29%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.36 ₡611

-31.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.77 ₡798

-71.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.21 ₡1,441

-21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.35 ₡1,958

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.39 ₡1,077

-27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$3.08 ₡1,386

-52.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.54 ₡1,142

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.53 ₡1,586

-38.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.89 ₡4,898

75.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.32 ₡4,641

-67.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.81 ₡6,211

-21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.21 ₡2,344

-43.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.63 ₡735

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.80 ₡2,159

-54.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.95 ₡1,775

-46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.88 ₡1,745

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$3.60 ₡1,621

-61.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.11 ₡500

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$3.21 ₡1,444

-82.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.78 ₡2,601

-23.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$19.70 ₡8,857

-7.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.78 ₡1,251

-36.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.71 ₡1,668

-22.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.34 ₡603

8.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-15.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.71 ₡769

-11.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.78 ₡800

-56.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$8.21 ₡3,693

-53.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.56 ₡704

-4.49%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-22.21%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-36.21%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$77.3 ₡34.8K

26.48%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$33.59 ₡15.1K

-66.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$58.2 ₡26.2K

-70.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$67.9 ₡30.6K

0.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.91 ₡3,556

-6.07%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$970 ₡436.2K

-45.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$18.8K ₡8.5M

-0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-14.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.6 ₡25.4K

-50.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$65.3 ₡29.4K

46.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$55.3 ₡24.9K

56.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$809 ₡364.0K

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$634 ₡285.0K

-19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,934 ₡869.5K

0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,263 ₡568.0K

10.59%

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

$890 ₡400.0K

-44.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Francisco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Francisco

$634 37.6% 24.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Francisco

$402 23.9% 50.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Francisco

$169 10.1% 33.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Francisco

$112 6.7% 8.6% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Francisco

$201 11.9% 68% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Francisco

$84 5% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 23% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $809 in San Francisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in San Francisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $402 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

55,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Francisco 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Francisco

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 Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $809 in San Francisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $970 in San Francisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in San Francisco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,683 in San Francisco, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Francisco. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San Francisco are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in San Francisco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.