Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Leandro, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,483 in San Leandro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 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
166

Cost of Living Index in San Leandro, CA
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San Leandro, CA Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Leandro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Leandro, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,483 in San Leandro, CA.

Phuket $1,278
San Leandro, CA $3,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $5,059 in San Leandro, CA.

Phuket $2,216
San Leandro, CA $5,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $6,634 in San Leandro, CA.

Phuket $3,154
San Leandro, CA $6,634

Living in Phuket costs roughly 63% less than in San Leandro, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, San Leandro, CA is 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$25.50 $25.50

-82.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$111 $111

-70.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.84 $14.84

-40.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$6.10 $6.10

-53.61%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$3.21 $3.21

-72.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.78 $2.78

-82.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$7.90 $7.90

-67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.84 $8.84

-58.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.76 $1.76

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$5.24 $5.24

-72.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$4.86 $4.86

-69.14%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$5.84 $5.84

-64.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$15.22 $15.22

25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.05 $13.05

-74.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$22.80 $22.80

-52.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$6.07 $6.07

-51.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.53 $1.53

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.42 $4.42

-49.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.46 $6.46

-67.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.00 $3.00

-49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.72 $2.72

-49.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.03 $2.03

-47.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.99 $1.99

-73.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.95 $11.95

-64.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$14.36 $14.36

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.74 $1.74

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.70 $3.70

-23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$5.70 $5.70

-74.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$97.6 $97.6

-41.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.23 $4.23

-28.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.00 $2.00

-49.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$38.81 $38.81

-90.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.56 $1.56

-5.77%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-1.61%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

1.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$240 $240

-59.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$50.9 $50.9

-77.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$77.0 $77.0

-78.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$49.58 $49.58

35.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.03 $16.03

-53.21%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$2,923 $2,923

-83.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$43.1K $43.1K

-73.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$66.4 $66.4

-6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$39.43 $39.43

-27.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$88.3 $88.3

6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$121 $121

-28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$2,357 $2,357

-69.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,882 $1,882

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$3,652 $3,652

-47.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$2,985 $2,985

-52.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$5,091 $5,091

-17.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$4,028 $4,028

-24.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$5,390 $5,390

-90.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.76

-17.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Leandro, CA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Leandro, CA

$1.9K 54% 283% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Leandro, CA

$473 13.6% 77.6% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Leandro, CA

$368 10.6% 196% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Leandro, CA

$142 4.1% 16.2% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Leandro, CA

$403 11.6% 231% $281

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Leandro, CA

$82 2.3% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Leandro, CA

$135 3.9% 90.7% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $2,357 in San Leandro, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Leandro, CA pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $111 in San Leandro, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $473 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 San Leandro, CA

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

18:02 6:02 PM

14 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

88,815

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket San Leandro, CA 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Leandro, CA

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 Leandro, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $2,357 in San Leandro, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,923 in San Leandro, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in San Leandro, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,483 in San Leandro, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Leandro, CA. 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 63% less than in San Leandro, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.