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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Santa Pola.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,399 in Santa Pola.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $3,188 in Santa Pola.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Santa Pola, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Santa Pola is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$15.07 €12.90

-69.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$57.5 €49.22

-18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$10.48 €8.97

-15.65%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.19 €1.87

36.99%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$2.46 €2.10

-69.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$1.68 €1.44

-77.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$3.53 €3.02

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$3.45 €2.96

4.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.17 €1.00

93.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.38 €1.18

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.66 €1.42

34.94%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.82 €2.41

-17.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$13.52 €11.58

45.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$8.21 €7.03

-55.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$14.89 €12.75

-12.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.43 €2.08

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.67 €1.43

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.92 €1.64

25.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$2.65 €2.26

-23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.72 €1.47

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$2.00 €1.71

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.39 €1.19

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.70 €0.60

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$6.13 €5.25

-27.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$5.58 €4.78

238.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.24 €1.06

43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.12 €1.82

29.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.67 €1.43

-16.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$34.30 €29.36

-66.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$4.00 €3.42

-22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.20 €1.03

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$24.91 €21.32

-43.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.74 €1.49

-22.41%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$38.8K €33.2K

-29.98%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$30.5K €26.1K

8.03%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$134 €115

-6.66%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$21.19 €18.14

-35.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$31.80 €27.22

-41.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$46.90 €40.14

31.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$14.97 €12.82

12.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$8.98 €7.69

2.34%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$400 €342

74.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$7,475 €6,399

108.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$82.9 €70.9

-30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$35.64 €30.51

-1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$88.0 €75.3

28.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$111 €94.7

-21.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$862 €737

-28.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$699 €599

-36.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,344 €1,150

52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$1,003 €858

48.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$3,478 €2,977

8.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$2,370 €2,029

11.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.5

52.29%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Pola: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $862 in Santa Pola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $57.0 in Santa Pola. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $258, with Santa Pola cheaper for home cooking.

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 Pola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $2,416 in Santa Pola 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: $616 in Phuket versus $862 in Santa Pola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $400 in Santa Pola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santa Pola pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Santa Pola, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Pola. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santa Pola 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Santa Pola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.