Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla.

Phuket $1,207
Santa Tecla $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,006 in Santa Tecla.

Phuket $2,037
Santa Tecla $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,657 in Santa Tecla.

Phuket $2,867
Santa Tecla $2,657

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Santa Tecla is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$6.56 $6.56

-30.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$44.20 $44.20

-26.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.82 $6.82

25.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.50 $3.50

-22.29%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.15 $1.15

-18.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.86 $0.86

-43.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.98 $1.98

30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.63 $3.63

5.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.75 $1.75

-0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.14 $2.14

-33.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.43 $1.43

6.99%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.30 $2.30

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$7.52 $7.52

154.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.55 $5.55

-40.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.23 $10.23

8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.27 $3.27

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.37 $1.37

22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.64 $2.64

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.54 $3.54

-39.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.98 $2.98

-48.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.35 $3.35

-59.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.96 $0.96

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.98 $0.98

-43.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.94 $3.94

8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$12.06 $12.06

50.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.20 $2.20

-20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.95 $2.95

-5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$6.16 $6.16

-52.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$3.06 $3.06

-66.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$20.27 $20.27

-81.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.24 $1.24

20.16%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$25.4K $25.4K

4.90%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$27.0K $27.0K

-0.99%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$132 $132

-24.63%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$20.92 $20.92

-46.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$42.31 $42.31

-58.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$24.72 $24.72

111.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.03 $5.03

50.50%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$160 $160

248.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$4,809 $4,809

138.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$67.0 $67.0

-6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$46.85 $46.85

-39.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$116 $116

-17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$115 $115

-23.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$765 $765

-4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$548 $548

-16.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,200 $1,200

74.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$887 $887

37.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$406 $406

21.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.5

-34.47%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 19.2% $88

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 2.8% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 52.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 15.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 48.4% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 44.8% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 21% 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $260, with Santa Tecla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

19:11 7:11 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

138,695

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Santa Tecla 17,470 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Tecla

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 Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $160 in Santa Tecla. 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 $32.00 versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Tecla. 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 Tecla, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santa Tecla 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 12% less than in Santa Tecla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.