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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $625 in Santa Rosa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $887 in Santa Rosa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,148 in Santa Rosa.

Living in Phuket is roughly 102% more expensive than in Santa Rosa, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Santa Rosa 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$2.44 ₱152

90.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,059

$16.85 ₱1,051

91.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿285

$2.78 ₱174

212.23%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.3

$1.13 ₱70.6

156.64%

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

$0.84 ฿27.75

$0.36 ₱22.74

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.25 ₱15.68

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.6

$0.97 ₱60.8

155.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$1.29 ₱80.5

189.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.69 ₱106

11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.31

$1.12 ₱69.6

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.3

$1.02 ₱63.5

58.82%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.7

$1.65 ₱103

35.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿652

$5.19 ₱324

282.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$3.43 ₱214

1.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$8.05 ₱502

41.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.23 ₱139

30.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.7

$0.77 ₱47.73

123.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.7

$2.40 ₱149

-5.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.1

$1.05 ₱65.2

102.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.49

$1.67 ₱104

-11.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.69

$1.79 ₱111

-20.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.08

$0.65 ₱40.82

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.66

$0.53 ₱33.17

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$3.05 ₱190

41.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$8.67 ₱541

114.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.2

$0.96 ₱60.0

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.5

$2.03 ₱127

46.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.8

$0.27 ₱16.87

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿772

$11.19 ₱698

109.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.77 ₱48.27

302.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.39

$0.25 ₱15.67

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$1.88 ₱117

105.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.93

$1.04 ₱65.1

37.50%

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

$27.8K ฿913.6K

$21.6K ₱1.3M

28.51%

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

$27.0K ฿887.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

39.09%

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

$105 ฿3,446

$63.3 ₱3,945

65.67%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$6.53 ₱407

74.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$23.53 ₱1,467

-25.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,787

$32.41 ₱2,021

67.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿376

$4.93 ₱308

132.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$5.11 ₱319

52.25%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$134 ₱8,359

330.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿380.8K

$5,562 ₱346.8K

108.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,092

$28.66 ₱1,787

122.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿957

$19.68 ₱1,227

47.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,164

$73.4 ₱4,579

31.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,960

$55.0 ₱3,431

63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

$264 ₱16.5K

177.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$171 ₱10.7K

193.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿69.9K

$503 ₱31.4K

322.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

$179 ₱11.2K

597.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.2K

$2,614 ₱163.0K

35.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.2K

$1,046 ₱65.2K

150.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

$143 ₱8,933

254.32%

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for Santa Rosa: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $264 in Santa Rosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 254% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Santa Rosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $170 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 254% higher in Phuket, 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: $733 in Phuket versus $264 in Santa Rosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $134 in Santa Rosa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $625 in Santa Rosa versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Santa Rosa 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 Rosa 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 Rosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.