Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santander

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,641 in Santander, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santander
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Santander Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santander

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santander

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,641 in Santander.

Phuket $1,278
Santander $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,599 in Santander.

Phuket $2,216
Santander $2,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,557 in Santander.

Phuket $3,154
Santander $3,557

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Santander, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Santander is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.55 €14.83

-72.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$56.5 €50.6

-42.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.34 €10.15

-22.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.51 €2.25

12.75%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.54 €2.27

-65.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.79 €1.60

-72.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.32 €2.98

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.90 €3.49

-5.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.26 €1.13

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.74 €2.45

-46.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.45 €2.20

-38.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.85 €3.45

-45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$22.56 €20.21

-15.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.97 €7.14

-58.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.64 €12.21

-20.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.48 €2.22

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.21 €1.98

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.88 €2.58

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.61 €3.24

-42.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.89 €1.69

-20.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.53 €2.27

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.45 €1.30

-26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.83 €0.75

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.60 €6.81

-44.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.57 €4.99

237.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.24 €1.11

46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.28 €2.04

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.56 €1.40

-7.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$17.79 €15.93

218.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.61 €5.02

-46.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.25 €2.02

-54.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$39.74 €35.59

-90.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$37.0K €33.1K

-27.63%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$29.4K €26.3K

-9.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$168 €151

-42.71%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.29 €31.60

-68.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$38.13 €34.15

-55.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$45.76 €40.98

46.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$19.81 €17.74

-45.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.74 €7.83

-14.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$483 €432

-1.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$8,906 €7,976

26.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$127 €113

-50.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$66.6 €59.6

-57.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$89.6 €80.3

5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$112 €100

-23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$822 €736

-12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$562 €503

-12.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,506 €1,349

27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,139 €1,020

25.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,220 €2,884

29.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,658 €2,380

14.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,866 €1,672

-73.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santander: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santander

$562 34.3% 14.4% $71

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santander

$317 19.3% 19.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santander

$242 14.7% 94.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santander

$178 10.8% 45.8% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santander

$238 14.5% 95.8% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santander

$63 3.9% 23.1% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santander

$41 2.5% 42.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $822 in Santander. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santander pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Santander for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $317 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Santander

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

172,726

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Santander 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santander

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 Santander: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $822 in Santander. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $483 in Santander. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Santander. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,641 in Santander, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santander. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Santander on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.