Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santarem

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Santarem: $1,278 and $1,303 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santarem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,303 in Santarem.

Phuket $1,278
Santarem $1,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,010 in Santarem.

Phuket $2,216
Santarem $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,717 in Santarem.

Phuket $3,154
Santarem $2,717

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Santarem; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santarem 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.18 €10.91

-63.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$38.63 €34.60

-16.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.97 €8.03

-1.78%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.77 €1.58

59.89%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.71 €1.53

-49.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.11 €0.99

-55.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.17 €1.95

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.28 €2.94

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.12 €1.01

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.47 €0.42

210.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.10 €0.98

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.29 €2.94

-36.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.84 €9.71

75.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.01 €6.28

-52.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.56 €12.15

-19.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.74 €2.46

6.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.33 €1.19

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.54 €2.27

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.14 €1.92

-2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.43 €1.28

5.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.58 €1.41

-12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.15 €1.03

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 €0.26

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.68 €5.09

-26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.71 €5.11

229.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.22 €1.09

49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.57 €3.20

-20.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.22 €1.99

-34.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$56.2 €50.3

0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.70 €3.31

-18.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.10 €1.88

-30.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$33.3K €29.8K

-19.64%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$38.3K €34.3K

-30.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$127 €114

-24.18%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.29 €18.17

-44.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.5 €50.6

-70.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$37.18 €33.30

80.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.79 €6.08

10.46%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$425 €380

12.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$19.0K €17.0K

-40.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$78.8 €70.6

-20.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.35 €33.45

-23.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$107 €96.1

-12.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$135 €121

-36.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$653 €585

9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$419 €376

17.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,027 €919

87.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$808 €723

77.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,173 €1,946

92.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,099 €984

177.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,080 €967

-53.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.76

17.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santarem

$419 32.2% 14.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santarem

$224 17.2% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santarem

$204 15.7% 63.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santarem

$161 12.4% 32.4% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santarem

$174 13.4% 43.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santarem

$51 3.9% 38.3% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 2.6% $1.8

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 $716 in Phuket and $653 in Santarem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santarem pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Santarem. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $224, with Santarem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,671

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santarem 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santarem

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 Santarem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $653 in Santarem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $39 in Santarem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $425 in Santarem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Santarem are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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