Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Cruz Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Cruz

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 10.9% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 38.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 7.9% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 67% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿142

$7.46 JMD 1,176

-39.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.08 ฿1,448

$63.1 JMD 9,952

-27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 ฿276

$8.74 JMD 1,378

0.46%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿97.0

$4.39 JMD 693

-29.61%

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

$0.70 ฿21.96

$1.37 JMD 216

-48.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.46

$0.75 JMD 118

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿75.5

$2.44 JMD 384

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿116

$3.17 JMD 500

16.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ฿70.6

$4.32 JMD 682

-47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 ฿58.8

$3.52 JMD 555

-46.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ฿69.8

$1.62 JMD 256

37.04%

Eggs

$2.23 ฿70.1

$3.61 JMD 569

-38.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.68 ฿619

$10.94 JMD 1,724

79.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿115

$6.48 JMD 1,021

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 ฿411

$7.50 JMD 1,183

74.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ฿106

$5.96 JMD 940

-43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿53.2

$3.16 JMD 498

-46.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿73.2

$4.26 JMD 672

-45.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿62.4

$3.04 JMD 479

-34.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿48.76

$2.05 JMD 323

-24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿47.41

$2.03 JMD 319

-25.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿30.83

$2.98 JMD 470

-67.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.01

$1.45 JMD 229

-66.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿137

$8.70 JMD 1,371

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.65 ฿649

$11.52 JMD 1,816

79.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.8

$2.88 JMD 454

-38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿86.6

$3.18 JMD 501

-13.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿43.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿357

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿97.7

$1.13 JMD 178

175.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿32.95

$3.26 JMD 514

-67.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.72 ฿431

$6.45 JMD 1,016

112.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿42.14

$1.30 JMD 204

3.08%

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

$27.7K ฿869.3K

$43.6K JMD 6.9M

-36.61%

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

$33.6K ฿1.1M

$33.7K JMD 5.3M

-0.21%

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

$122 ฿3,834

$161 JMD 25.3K

-24.09%

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

$13.61 ฿428

$21.92 JMD 3,455

-37.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 ฿581

$50.3 JMD 7,922

-63.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 ฿1,939

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.70 ฿525

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 ฿286

$13.25 JMD 2,089

-31.40%

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

$702 ฿22.1K

$223 JMD 35.1K

215.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K ฿502.6K

$2,530 JMD 398.9K

531.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ฿1,851

$26.16 JMD 4,123

125.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 ฿1,081

$25.52 JMD 4,023

34.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,544

$71.5 JMD 11.3K

57.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 ฿2,661

$77.6 JMD 12.2K

9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ฿19.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 ฿13.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 ฿46.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 ฿139.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 ฿17.2K

$404 JMD 63.7K

35.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.15

-41.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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