Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Pola

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,675 in Santa Pola, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Santa Pola
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Santa Pola Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Santa Pola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,675 in Santa Pola.

Phuket $1,294
Santa Pola $1,675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,402 in Santa Pola.

Phuket $2,204
Santa Pola $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,129 in Santa Pola.

Phuket $3,115
Santa Pola $3,129

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Santa Pola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Santa Pola is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.67 €15.74

-75.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$62.7 €55.8

-48.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$11.26 €10.03

-22.74%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.52 €2.24

7.94%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$2.23 €1.99

-58.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$1.83 €1.63

-72.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.17 €2.82

-20.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$4.07 €3.62

-10.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.17 €1.04

48.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.46 €1.30

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.35 €1.20

11.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$3.13 €2.79

-30.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$13.88 €12.36

37.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.19 €7.29

-58.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$15.13 €13.48

-27.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.59 €2.30

13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.63 €1.45

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.15 €1.92

1.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.57 €2.28

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.77 €1.57

-17.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.90 €1.69

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.20 €1.07

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.79 €0.70

-30.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.78 €6.04

-34.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$4.81 €4.29

279.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.35 €1.20

31.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.24 €2.00

28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.68 €1.50

-13.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$28.54 €25.41

92.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.86 €3.44

-60.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.15 €1.03

-32.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$23.43 €20.86

-83.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.80 €1.61

-17.22%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$36.2K €32.2K

-25.67%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$34.4K €30.7K

-23.50%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$137 €122

-28.53%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$17.68 €15.75

-36.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$29.47 €26.24

-41.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$44.47 €39.59

53.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$13.40 €11.93

-18.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$8.89 €7.92

-16.42%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$419 €373

26.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$8,498 €7,567

121.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$96.8 €86.2

-36.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$38.79 €34.54

-27.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$80.5 €71.7

19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$106 €94.5

-18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$886 €789

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$733 €653

-30.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,338 €1,191

45.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$940 €837

48.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$3,295 €2,934

27.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$2,285 €2,034

44.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Santa Pola: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Santa Pola

$733 43.8% 44.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Santa Pola

$261 15.6% 2.3% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Santa Pola

$184 11% 45.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Santa Pola

$145 8.7% 18.2% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Santa Pola

$246 14.7% 105% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Santa Pola

$62 3.7% 25.2% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Santa Pola

$45 2.7% 32% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $886 in Santa Pola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $63 in Santa Pola. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $261, with Santa Pola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Santa Pola

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,816

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Santa Pola 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Pola

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 Pola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,513 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: $721 in Phuket versus $886 in Santa Pola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $419 in Santa Pola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $63 in Santa Pola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,675 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.

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.