Cost of Living Comparison Between Saintes and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Saintes and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Saintes versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,613 in Saintes versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,454 in Saintes versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Saintes is roughly 40% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saintes is 32% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 €15.24

$4.56 ฿149

287.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 €24.77

$46.63 ฿1,519

-38.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 €7.96

$8.47 ฿276

9.09%

Cappuccino

$3.45 €2.97

$3.03 ฿98.6

13.86%

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

$2.46 €2.12

$0.69 ฿22.45

256.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$0.37 ฿11.92

294.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €3.93

$2.49 ฿81.0

83.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 €4.58

$3.66 ฿119

45.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.92

$2.18 ฿71.0

-50.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 €3.67

$1.90 ฿62.0

124.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.06

$2.20 ฿71.6

61.36%

Eggs

$2.26 €1.94

$2.22 ฿72.4

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.70 €19.56

$19.99 ฿651

13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.81 €11.90

$3.66 ฿119

277.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 €18.34

$13.25 ฿432

60.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 €2.71

$3.23 ฿105

-2.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.70 ฿55.3

16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.71

$2.39 ฿78.0

-17.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.73

$2.08 ฿67.7

52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 €0.72

$1.59 ฿51.8

-47.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.59

$1.48 ฿48.31

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.34

$1.03 ฿33.54

51.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.48

$0.52 ฿16.83

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.48 €10.75

$4.25 ฿138

193.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.27

$18.79 ฿612

-55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.23

$1.76 ฿57.2

47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.84

$2.76 ฿89.8

19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.68

$1.36 ฿44.32

42.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.77 €42.02

$11.36 ฿370

329.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 €5.14

$3.14 ฿102

89.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 €2.16

$1.04 ฿33.74

141.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.58 €31.52

$13.77 ฿448

165.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.34 ฿43.79

50.75%

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

$37.2K €32.0K

$27.7K ฿901.4K

34.32%

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

$38.9K €33.5K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

14.95%

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

$184 €159

$124 ฿4,025

49.14%

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

$11.55 €9.95

$13.52 ฿440

-14.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 €23.70

$18.69 ฿609

47.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 €31.87

$61.8 ฿2,013

-40.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 €15.53

$17.25 ฿562

4.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 €9.16

$9.14 ฿298

16.30%

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

$766 €660

$703 ฿22.9K

9.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,734 €7,525

$15.9K ฿517.0K

-44.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €40.64

$59.5 ฿1,937

-20.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.61 €30.69

$35.07 ฿1,142

1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 €60.3

$115 ฿3,754

-39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €99.1

$84.1 ฿2,737

36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 €677

$619 ฿20.1K

26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €538

$433 ฿14.1K

44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,211

$2,062 ฿67.2K

-31.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 €918

$1,511 ฿49.2K

-29.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,213 €3,630

$3,646 ฿118.7K

15.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,086 €2,659

$2,626 ฿85.5K

17.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

5.33

-32.08%

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

Last update for Saintes: June 9, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $785 in Saintes and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Saintes vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $293, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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

Saintes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Saintes and $1,892 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $785 in Saintes versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $766 in Saintes versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Saintes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,771 in Saintes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Saintes. 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 Saintes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Saintes and Phuket 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 40% less than in Saintes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.