Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Phuket $1,278
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Phuket $2,216
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Phuket $3,154
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Phuket is roughly 108% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.55 ₱98.8

188.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$7.73 ₱494

319.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.79 ₱178

215.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.76 ₱113

60.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.37 ₱23.90

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.24 ₱15.42

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.01 ₱64.7

153.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$0.90 ₱57.2

308.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.54 ₱98.4

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.15 ₱73.3

26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.91 ₱57.9

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.52 ₱97.0

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.82 ₱308

295.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.29 ₱210

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.20 ₱460

51.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.37 ₱87.7

113.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.49 ₱31.52

244.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.43 ₱91.7

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.06 ₱67.7

96.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.67 ₱107

-9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.68 ₱107

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.61 ₱39.25

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.52 ₱33.12

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.93 ₱187

43.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.49 ₱543

121.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.96 ₱61.4

89.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.06 ₱131

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.21 ₱13.11

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$11.50 ₱735

392.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 ₱48.74

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₱14.00

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.93 ₱124

91.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.20 ₱76.5

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

29.34%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

41.01%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$82.8 ₱5,290

16.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.51 ₱1,118

-35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$22.58 ₱1,443

-25.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$27.30 ₱1,744

146.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.47 ₱285

140.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.03 ₱321

49.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$128 ₱8,194

271.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

6.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.32 ₱1,809

120.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.21 ₱1,227

47.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$69.6 ₱4,447

35.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$53.7 ₱3,431

59.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$219 ₱14.0K

227.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$160 ₱10.2K

206.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$480 ₱30.7K

301.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$298 ₱19.1K

379.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,453 ₱156.7K

70.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,079 ₱68.9K

182.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 67.4% $331

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 42.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 1.3% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 36.9% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 57.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 54.6% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 79.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

123,574

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santa Cruz, Laguna 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $128 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.