Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Rosa, Philippines

Name: Santa Rosa
Address: Santa Rosa, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $614 in Santa Rosa.

Phuket $1,278
Santa Rosa $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $873 in Santa Rosa.

Phuket $2,216
Santa Rosa $873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,131 in Santa Rosa.

Phuket $3,154
Santa Rosa $1,131

Living in Phuket is roughly 108% more expensive than in Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santa Rosa 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.47 ₱158

80.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.32 ₱1,042

98.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.76 ₱176

219.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.12 ₱71.3

152.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.36 ₱22.76

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.22 ₱13.96

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.00 ₱63.8

156.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.26 ₱80.7

192.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.60 ₱102

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.15 ₱73.6

26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.99 ₱63.6

51.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.53 ₱97.7

36.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.10 ₱326

273.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.42 ₱219

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.75 ₱495

40.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.18 ₱139

34.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.80 ₱51.2

111.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.27 ₱145

-0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.00 ₱64.0

108.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.71 ₱109

-11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.73 ₱111

-20.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.64 ₱40.97

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.48 ₱30.37

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 ₱179

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.75 ₱559

114.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.95 ₱61.0

91.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.03 ₱129

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.21 ₱13.28

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$13.39 ₱856

323.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₱51.6

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.24 ₱15.36

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.92 ₱123

92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.02 ₱65.2

44.12%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

26.14%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

39.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$62.5 ₱3,990

54.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.40 ₱409

75.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.42 ₱1,496

-28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.17 ₱1,991

115.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.99 ₱382

79.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.16 ₱330

45.35%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$132 ₱8,404

261.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,549 ₱354.5K

102.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.17 ₱1,800

121.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.31 ₱1,234

47.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$71.5 ₱4,569

31.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$55.1 ₱3,517

55.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$255 ₱16.3K

180.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$168 ₱10.8K

191.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$494 ₱31.6K

290.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$169 ₱10.8K

747.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,457 ₱157.0K

69.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,162 ₱74.2K

162.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$140 ₱8,933

259.25%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Rosa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4% 65.7% $323

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1% 37.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santa Rosa

$92 15% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8% 35.7% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3% 57.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8% 49.5% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6% 77% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $255 in Santa Rosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Santa Rosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $166 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

414,812

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santa Rosa 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Rosa

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 Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $255 in Santa Rosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $132 in Santa Rosa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $614 in Santa Rosa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Rosa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Rosa 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santa Rosa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Santa Rosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.