Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,066 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,066 in San Sebastian.

Phuket $1,278
San Sebastian $2,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,076 in San Sebastian.

Phuket $2,216
San Sebastian $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,086 in San Sebastian.

Phuket $3,154
San Sebastian $4,086

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, San Sebastian is 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.85 €16.88

-76.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$61.9 €55.5

-47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.78 €9.65

-18.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.31 €2.07

22.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.84 €2.54

-69.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.63 €1.46

-69.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.28 €2.94

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.70 €3.31

-0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.18 €1.06

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.12 €1.01

30.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.84 €1.65

-18.48%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.62 €3.24

-42.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$22.61 €20.25

-15.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.91 €7.08

-58.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.65 €18.49

-47.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.50 €2.24

17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.76 €2.47

-38.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.30 €2.96

-31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.92 €2.62

-28.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.60 €2.33

-41.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.03 €1.81

-32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.19 €1.07

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.03 €0.92

-49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.79 €6.08

-38.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.36 €6.59

155.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.72 €1.54

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.77 €1.58

60.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.16 €1.93

-32.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$33.69 €30.17

68.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.82 €6.11

-55.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.89 €0.79

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.07 €19.77

-83.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.70 €1.52

-13.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$35.2K €31.5K

-23.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.0K €27.8K

-13.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$136 €122

-29.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.48 €22.82

-55.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.61 €31.89

-52.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$42.24 €37.83

59.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$19.49 €17.45

-44.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.51 €7.62

-11.87%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$454 €406

4.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$14.0K €12.5K

-19.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$101 €90.1

-37.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.72 €29.31

-13.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$74.2 €66.4

27.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$132 €119

-35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,470 €1,316

-51.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,024 €917

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,371 €2,123

-18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,671 €1,497

-14.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$9,813 €8,789

-57.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$5,360 €4,800

-43.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,011 €2,696

-83.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.92

90.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6% 109% $533

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Sebastian

$327 15.8% 22.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Sebastian

$197 9.5% 58.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Sebastian

$153 7.4% 25.4% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Sebastian

$253 12.2% 108% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Sebastian

$59 2.9% 27.9% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Sebastian

$54 2.6% 24.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in San Sebastian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $327 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

188,743

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Sebastian 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Sebastian

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 Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 38% 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 83% 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 $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $454 in San Sebastian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in San Sebastian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,066 in San Sebastian, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Sebastian. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, San Sebastian on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.