Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samana and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $712 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$712

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samana and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Samana and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Samana versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Samana $712
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,168 in Samana versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Samana $1,168
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,625 in Samana versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Samana $1,625
Phuket $3,115

Living in Samana costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samana 47% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 DOP 484

$4.39 ฿148

83.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.69 DOP 2,504

$32.31 ฿1,090

29.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 DOP 422

$8.70 ฿294

-19.20%

Cappuccino

$1.74 DOP 105

$2.72 ฿91.9

-36.03%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.26

$0.93 ฿31.39

-27.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 DOP 24.10

$0.50 ฿16.85

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 DOP 144

$2.53 ฿85.4

-5.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 DOP 232

$3.63 ฿122

6.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 DOP 69.2

$1.74 ฿58.7

-33.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 DOP 101

$1.45 ฿48.95

16.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 DOP 92.0

$1.50 ฿50.7

2.00%

Eggs

$1.42 DOP 85.2

$2.17 ฿73.3

-34.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.07 DOP 364

$19.09 ฿644

-68.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 DOP 210

$3.40 ฿115

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 DOP 286

$10.90 ฿368

-56.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 DOP 220

$2.94 ฿99.2

24.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 DOP 86.5

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 DOP 200

$2.19 ฿74.0

52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 DOP 110

$2.12 ฿71.7

-13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 DOP 207

$1.46 ฿49.21

135.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 DOP 175

$1.37 ฿46.15

112.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 DOP 55.9

$1.08 ฿36.30

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 DOP 97.7

$0.55 ฿18.41

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.82 DOP 290

$4.43 ฿149

8.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 DOP 499

$18.25 ฿616

-54.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 DOP 178

$1.77 ฿59.8

67.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 DOP 207

$2.88 ฿97.2

19.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 DOP 48.56

$1.45 ฿48.84

-44.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 DOP 146

$1.51 ฿51.0

60.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 DOP 191

$0.78 ฿26.18

308.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 71.8

$1.49 ฿50.2

-19.46%

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

$14.7K DOP 882.7K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-45.33%

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

$25.8K DOP 1.5M

$26.3K ฿888.9K

-2.19%

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

$92.2 DOP 5,539

$97.8 ฿3,300

-5.70%

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

$16.54 DOP 993

$11.29 ฿381

46.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.91 DOP 2,277

$17.19 ฿580

120.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 DOP 289

$7.43 ฿251

-35.26%

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

$149 DOP 8,928

$530 ฿17.9K

-71.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,316 DOP 319.3K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-71.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.70 DOP 1,544

$61.7 ฿2,081

-58.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 DOP 2,686

$28.25 ฿953

58.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 DOP 3,726

$96.0 ฿3,239

-35.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 DOP 3,948

$86.8 ฿2,929

-24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 DOP 7,840

$721 ฿24.3K

-81.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.1 DOP 5,834

$509 ฿17.2K

-80.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$325 DOP 19.5K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-83.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 DOP 14.6K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-82.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Samana: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samana

$217 30.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 22.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samana

$147 20.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 13.9% $20

Eating Out

Samana

$130 18.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 8.4% $11

Accommodation & Living

Samana

$97 13.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 424% $412

Clothing & Footwear

Samana

$89 12.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 37.6% $34

Getting Around

Samana

$22 * 3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 206% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Samana

$9.6 * 1.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 764% $74

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 $131 in Samana and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in Samana vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $217 vs $267, with Samana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Samana

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

11 h ahead of Samana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,179

79,308

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samana Phuket 16,720 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Samana
Phuket

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

Samana vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samana is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,068 in Samana and $1,940 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: $131 in Samana versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $42 in Samana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $712 in Samana versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Samana but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Samana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.