Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Rita

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rita: $978 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Santa Rita

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $978 in Santa Rita.

Phuket $1,208
Santa Rita $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,468 in Santa Rita.

Phuket $2,027
Santa Rita $1,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,958 in Santa Rita.

Phuket $2,845
Santa Rita $1,958

Living in Phuket is roughly 24% more expensive than in Santa Rita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Santa Rita 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.57 ₲20.3K

23.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$35.71 ₲203.1K

-9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.61 ₲20.5K

-21.61%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.86 ₲4,909

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.55 ₲3,145

-14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.38 ₲7,872

177.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.13 ₲6,404

53.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.91 ₲10.9K

-23.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.25 ₲7,102

20.80%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.91 ₲16.5K

-25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.09 ₲46.0K

143.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.30 ₲24.4K

-22.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.56 ₲65.8K

-3.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.19 ₲29.5K

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.58 ₲20.3K

-38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.17 ₲18.0K

-35.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.60 ₲20.5K

-59.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.71 ₲15.4K

-49.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.92 ₲5,217

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.37 ₲7,786

-62.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$5.14 ₲29.2K

261.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.87 ₲16.3K

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.45 ₲8,241

55.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$42.91 ₲244.0K

-48.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$4.33 ₲24.6K

-75.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.82 ₲21.7K

1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.43 ₲8,119

1.40%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$9,866 ₲56.1M

166.87%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$108 ₲614.4K

-10.80%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$24.98 ₲142.0K

-55.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$39.66 ₲225.5K

-56.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$43.41 ₲246.8K

20.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$26.74 ₲152.1K

-58.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.60 ₲48.9K

-9.19%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$77.6 ₲441.4K

616.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$52.6 ₲299.0K

22.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$88.4 ₲502.4K

-67.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$71.4 ₲405.9K

23.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$350 ₲2.0M

110.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$263 ₲1.5M

75.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$445 ₲2.5M

370.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$349 ₲2.0M

243.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$530 ₲3.0M

-5.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Santa Rita

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Santa Rita

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Santa Rita

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Santa Rita

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Santa Rita

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Santa Rita

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Santa Rita

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $350 in Santa Rita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rita pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $36.00 in Santa Rita. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $236, with Santa Rita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇾 Santa Rita

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

11:18 11:18 AM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santa Rita 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Rita

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 Rita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rita is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Santa Rita. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $350 in Santa Rita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $77.6 in Santa Rita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $978 in Santa Rita versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Rita but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Rita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santa Rita 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 Rita 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 Rita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.