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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $635 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $974 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,313 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$1.64 ₱102

184.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,059

$7.96 ₱497

304.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿285

$2.77 ₱173

213.36%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.3

$1.78 ₱111

62.92%

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

$0.84 ฿27.75

$0.42 ₱26.14

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.23 ₱14.30

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.6

$1.03 ₱64.0

140.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$0.93 ₱57.8

301.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.64 ₱102

15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.31

$1.12 ₱69.7

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.3

$0.94 ₱58.6

72.34%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.7

$1.56 ₱97.1

43.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿652

$4.75 ₱296

317.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$3.49 ₱218

-0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$7.29 ₱455

55.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.3

$1.48 ₱92.4

95.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.7

$0.50 ₱31.15

244.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.7

$1.47 ₱91.9

54.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.1

$1.08 ₱67.2

97.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.49

$1.70 ₱106

-13.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.69

$1.74 ₱109

-18.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.08

$0.63 ₱39.03

74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.66

$0.53 ₱32.86

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.98 ₱186

44.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$8.65 ₱539

115.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.2

$0.93 ₱57.9

93.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.5

$2.01 ₱126

47.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.8

$0.25 ₱15.51

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿772

$11.30 ₱705

107.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.79 ₱49.17

292.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.39

$0.25 ₱15.59

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$1.90 ₱118

103.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.93

$1.21 ₱75.6

18.18%

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

$27.8K ฿913.6K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

31.94%

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

$27.0K ฿887.2K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.57%

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

$105 ฿3,446

$87.6 ₱5,460

19.70%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$17.87 ₱1,114

-36.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$23.16 ₱1,444

-24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,787

$32.24 ₱2,011

68.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿376

$4.72 ₱294

142.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$5.34 ₱333

45.69%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$132 ₱8,260

335.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿380.8K

$10.7K ₱668.8K

7.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,092

$29.47 ₱1,838

115.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿957

$19.28 ₱1,202

50.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,164

$70.9 ₱4,419

35.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,960

$56.1 ₱3,499

60.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

$273 ₱17.0K

168.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$175 ₱10.9K

187.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿69.9K

$500 ₱31.2K

325.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

$355 ₱22.1K

252.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.2K

$2,640 ₱164.6K

33.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.2K

$1,024 ₱63.9K

156.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $273 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $156 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $953 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: $733 in Phuket versus $273 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $132 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 76% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $635 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Santa Cruz, Laguna 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, Laguna 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, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.