Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santa Cruz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $639 in Santa Cruz.

Phuket $1,207
Santa Cruz $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,172 in Santa Cruz.

Phuket $2,037
Santa Cruz $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,704 in Santa Cruz.

Phuket $2,867
Santa Cruz $1,704

Living in Phuket is roughly 89% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Santa Cruz 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.00 BOB 23.19

129.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$16.80 BOB 195

93.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.10 BOB 59.2

67.65%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.77 BOB 20.52

53.67%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.49 BOB 5.72

91.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.43 BOB 4.97

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.86 BOB 9.97

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.24 BOB 14.35

208.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.71 BOB 8.23

145.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.94 BOB 10.88

52.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.03 BOB 11.93

48.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.06 BOB 12.27

104.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$3.15 BOB 36.56

507.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.58 BOB 29.92

27.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$4.98 BOB 57.8

123.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.82 BOB 21.12

62.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.62 BOB 7.24

170.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.76 BOB 8.81

202.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$0.73 BOB 8.48

191.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.74 BOB 8.55

106.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.67 BOB 7.75

102.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.57 BOB 6.66

96.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.63 BOB 7.36

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.92 BOB 22.25

121.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.32 BOB 50.2

321.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.02 BOB 11.86

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.64 BOB 19.01

70.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.24 BOB 2.78

825.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$22.48 BOB 261

-1.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.64 BOB 19.05

77.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.91 BOB 10.58

10.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.31 BOB 73.3

-39.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.57 BOB 6.59

161.40%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

89.68%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

38.66%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$34.84 BOB 405

185.22%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.67 BOB 228

-42.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$17.53 BOB 204

-0.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$19.56 BOB 227

167.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$12.84 BOB 149

-15.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.86 BOB 68.1

29.18%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$112 BOB 1,303

397.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

289.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$27.21 BOB 316

131.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.79 BOB 416

-20.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$66.3 BOB 769

45.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$58.3 BOB 677

51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$267 BOB 3,105

172.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$247 BOB 2,869

86.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$909 BOB 10.6K

130.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$830 BOB 9,630

47.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

166.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$737 BOB 8,551

237.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$276 BOB 3,204

78.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.17

-9.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 46.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 58.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 43.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 32% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 48.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 53.6% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 23.8% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $267 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 79% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $112 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

08:44 8:44 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,800,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Santa Cruz 17,740 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $267 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $112 in Santa Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 139% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $639 in Santa Cruz versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santa Cruz is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santa Cruz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.