Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,094 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santo Domingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,094 in Santo Domingo.

Phuket $1,278
Santo Domingo $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,713 in Santo Domingo.

Phuket $2,216
Santo Domingo $1,713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,333 in Santo Domingo.

Phuket $3,154
Santo Domingo $2,333

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Santo Domingo 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.87 DOP 597

-54.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$48.28 DOP 2,917

-32.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.47 DOP 451

17.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.30 DOP 139

23.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.05 DOP 63.5

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.58 DOP 35.01

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.52 DOP 152

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.16 DOP 191

16.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.42 DOP 85.7

16.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.52 DOP 92.1

-3.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.61 DOP 97.0

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.32 DOP 140

-9.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.98 DOP 422

173.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.47 DOP 331

-39.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.72 DOP 406

62.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.21 DOP 194

-8.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.77 DOP 46.41

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.65 DOP 160

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.79 DOP 108

16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.93 DOP 117

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.23 DOP 135

-38.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.99 DOP 59.6

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.98 DOP 59.2

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.24 DOP 317

-19.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.18 DOP 615

84.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.61 DOP 158

-30.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.83 DOP 171

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.60 DOP 35.98

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$16.31 DOP 986

247.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.20 DOP 193

-5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.23 DOP 135

-54.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.63 DOP 340

-34.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.38 DOP 83.2

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$28.4K DOP 1.7M

-5.64%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

-21.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$93.0 DOP 5,617

3.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$31.34 DOP 1,894

-64.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$36.15 DOP 2,184

-53.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$29.12 DOP 1,759

130.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$23.71 DOP 1,433

-54.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.28 DOP 440

3.02%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$245 DOP 14.8K

94.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,282 DOP 440.0K

54.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$45.14 DOP 2,728

38.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$46.00 DOP 2,779

-38.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$87.4 DOP 5,282

7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$122 DOP 7,341

-29.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$709 DOP 42.9K

0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$349 DOP 21.1K

40.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,408 DOP 85.1K

36.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$615 DOP 37.1K

132.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,462 DOP 148.8K

69.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,351 DOP 81.6K

125.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$587 DOP 35.5K

-14.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.56

-58.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santo Domingo

$349 31.9% 29% $142

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santo Domingo

$219 20% 17.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santo Domingo

$160 14.7% 28.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santo Domingo

$135 12.3% 10.8% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santo Domingo

$154 14.1% 26.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santo Domingo

$44 4% 46.9% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santo Domingo

$33 3% 53.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $709 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Domingo pays 17% 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 $48 in Santo Domingo. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $219, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

18:36 6:36 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 60.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Santo Domingo 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $709 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $245 in Santo Domingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santo Domingo 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.