Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela.

Phuket $1,207
Santiago de Compostela $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela.

Phuket $2,037
Santiago de Compostela $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela.

Phuket $2,867
Santiago de Compostela $2,991

Living in Phuket costs roughly 16% less than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Santiago de Compostela is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.22 €11.75

-65.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$66.5 €59.1

-51.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.21 €8.19

-7.17%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.95 €1.74

39.49%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.69 €2.39

-65.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.17 €1.93

-77.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.10 €2.75

-16.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.87 €3.44

-1.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.20 €1.07

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.17 €1.04

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.32 €1.17

15.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.77 €2.47

-21.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.85 €7.88

116.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.67 €5.93

-50.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$17.00 €15.12

-34.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.04 €1.81

44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.09 €1.86

-19.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.48 €1.32

55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.86 €2.54

-25.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.96 €1.74

-21.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.47 €1.30

-7.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.84 €0.75

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.97 €5.31

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.12 €4.55

255.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.45 €1.29

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.37 €2.11

17.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.19 €1.06

86.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$32.89 €29.25

-32.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$4.87 €4.33

-40.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.31 €1.17

-22.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$18.83 €16.74

-79.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.69 €1.50

-11.83%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.4K €31.5K

-24.62%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$28.8K €25.7K

-7.38%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$155 €138

-35.96%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$21.74 €19.34

-48.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$32.64 €29.03

-46.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.2 €45.55

2.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$2.19 €1.95

395.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.11 €8.99

-25.12%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$331 €294

68.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$8,249 €7,337

39.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$87.7 €78.0

-28.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$62.9 €55.9

-54.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$100.0 €88.9

-3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$92.3 €82.1

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$712 €633

2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$516 €459

-10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,047 €931

100.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$869 €773

40.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,001 €2,669

15.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,094 €1,863

18.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,870 €1,663

-73.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.96

88.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9% 12.1% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6% 63.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7% 24.4% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9% 64.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5% 5.9% $4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4% 26.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 279% 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 $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $240, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

98,687

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Santiago de Compostela 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 279% lower in Santiago de Compostela. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $331 in Santiago de Compostela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santiago de Compostela pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santiago de Compostela. 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 Santiago de Compostela, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Santiago de Compostela 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 19% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.