Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $732 in Santa Maria.

Phuket $1,278
Santa Maria $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Santa Maria.

Phuket $2,216
Santa Maria $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,715 in Santa Maria.

Phuket $3,154
Santa Maria $1,715

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.61 R$30.22

-20.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$33.42 R$180

-3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.46 R$34.77

36.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.70 R$9.16

66.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.03 R$5.54

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.62 R$3.31

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.51 R$8.11

69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.26 R$22.92

-13.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.02 R$5.47

62.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.48 R$7.94

-1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.42 R$7.64

5.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.74 R$9.39

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.55 R$46.00

123.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.71 R$19.95

-11.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.82 R$42.06

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.26 R$12.18

29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.38 R$7.43

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.01 R$10.83

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.37 R$7.40

51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.13 R$6.08

33.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.28 R$6.90

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.87 R$4.68

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 R$4.41

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.20 R$11.85

90.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.58 R$40.79

147.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.21 R$6.50

50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.75 R$14.83

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.22 R$6.57

18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$42.50 R$229

33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.18 R$6.34

155.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.79 R$4.24

29.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.72 R$41.53

-52.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.17 R$6.30

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$22.9K R$123.4K

16.78%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$30.0K R$161.7K

-11.18%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$51.1 R$275

88.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.89 R$85.5

-29.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$17.02 R$91.6

-1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$22.47 R$121

199.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.14 R$60.0

-3.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.46 R$29.39

37.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$147 R$790

224.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,764 R$14.9K

307.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$59.1 R$318

5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.62 R$224

-31.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$92.8 R$499

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$60.1 R$323

42.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$282 R$1,517

153.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$155 R$835

216.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$608 R$3,270

217.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$370 R$1,991

286.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,633 R$8,787

155.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$677 R$3,646

349.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$591 R$3,179

-14.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 68.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 30.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 32.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 6.4% $7.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 59.4% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 25.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $282 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Maria pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $33 in Santa Maria. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $186, with Santa Maria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

271,735

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santa Maria 16,240 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Maria

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 Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Maria is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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 $282 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $147 in Santa Maria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $732 in Santa Maria versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Maria but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Maria 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.