Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santiago de los Caballeros

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de los Caballeros: $926 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de los Caballeros
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Santiago de los Caballeros Living Index

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Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Santiago de los Caballeros

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santiago de los Caballeros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $926 in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Phuket $1,294
Santiago de los Caballeros $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,425 in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Phuket $2,204
Santiago de los Caballeros $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,925 in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Phuket $3,115
Santiago de los Caballeros $1,925

Living in Phuket is roughly 40% more expensive than in Santiago de los Caballeros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Santiago de los Caballeros 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$8.32 DOP 504

-47.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$41.22 DOP 2,497

-21.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.84 DOP 414

27.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$1.74 DOP 106

56.32%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$0.66 DOP 40.06

40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.40 DOP 24.29

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$2.46 DOP 149

2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.02 DOP 183

20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.22 DOP 73.9

42.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$1.53 DOP 92.6

-5.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.55 DOP 94.0

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$1.46 DOP 88.3

48.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$6.35 DOP 385

200.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.68 DOP 223

-7.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$4.66 DOP 282

133.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$3.24 DOP 197

-9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$0.77 DOP 46.84

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$2.65 DOP 161

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$1.88 DOP 114

12.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.95 DOP 118

-25.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$2.17 DOP 131

-36.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$0.90 DOP 54.4

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.95 DOP 57.5

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.78 DOP 289

-7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$10.14 DOP 614

79.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$2.64 DOP 160

-32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$3.02 DOP 183

-4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$0.61 DOP 36.71

137.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$30.78 DOP 1,864

78.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$2.52 DOP 153

-40.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$2.22 DOP 134

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$5.67 DOP 343

-32.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$1.43 DOP 86.7

4.20%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$14.8K DOP 893.6K

82.21%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$25.5K DOP 1.5M

3.35%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$92.6 DOP 5,607

5.66%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$27.35 DOP 1,657

-58.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$35.65 DOP 2,159

-51.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$24.91 DOP 1,509

174.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$5.05 DOP 306

47.13%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$149 DOP 9,013

256.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$5,382 DOP 326.0K

248.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$26.68 DOP 1,616

131.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$45.60 DOP 2,762

-38.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$62.8 DOP 3,806

52.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$64.9 DOP 3,932

33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$679 DOP 41.1K

6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$271 DOP 16.4K

87.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$1,514 DOP 91.7K

28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$471 DOP 28.5K

196.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$965 DOP 58.5K

334.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$911 DOP 55.2K

262.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$534 DOP 32.3K

-7.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Santiago de los Caballeros: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$271 29.3% 46.7% $238

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$197 21.2% 26.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$156 16.8% 23.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$90 9.7% 26.7% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$131 14.1% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$35 3.8% 57.9% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Santiago de los Caballeros

$47 5.1% 29.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $679 in Santiago de los Caballeros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de los Caballeros pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Santiago de los Caballeros. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $197, with Santiago de los Caballeros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Santiago de los Caballeros

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

19:39 7:39 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,836,778

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 60.57 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.69 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Santiago de los Caballeros 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santiago de los Caballeros

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 los Caballeros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de los Caballeros is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $679 in Santiago de los Caballeros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $149 in Santiago de los Caballeros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.