Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Antonio, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,367 in San Antonio, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio, TX
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San Antonio, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Antonio, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,367

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Antonio, TX 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 San Antonio, TX and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in San Antonio, TX versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Antonio, TX $2,367
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,599 in San Antonio, TX versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Antonio, TX $3,599
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in San Antonio, TX versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Antonio, TX $4,831
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Antonio, TX is roughly 85% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Antonio, TX is 74% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$4.47 ฿151

304.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 $71.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

119.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 $10.60

$8.81 ฿297

20.32%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$2.83 ฿95.5

82.69%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.87 ฿29.43

204.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.49 ฿16.67

255.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.56 ฿86.4

110.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.68 ฿124

58.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.46 ฿49.35

126.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.50 ฿50.6

187.33%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$2.09 ฿70.5

76.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$19.07 ฿644

-35.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 $11.79

$3.30 ฿111

257.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$10.91 ฿368

62.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.93 ฿99.0

60.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.69 ฿57.1

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.25 ฿75.8

98.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.08 ฿70.1

72.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.51 ฿51.0

64.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.38 ฿46.56

120.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.07 ฿35.99

79.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.52 ฿17.52

334.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.20 ฿142

138.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$18.79 ฿634

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.82 ฿61.5

47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.84 ฿95.9

23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.45 ฿49.03

-8.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 $38.02

$56.7 ฿1,913

-32.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.02 ฿102

13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.02 ฿34.36

73.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.31 $24.31

$3.69 ฿125

558.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 ฿49.81

-34.01%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

37.80%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-4.63%

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

$213 $213

$96.4 ฿3,254

121.39%

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

$73.4 $73.4

$11.26 ฿380

552.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$16.85 ฿569

365.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.23 $35.23

$67.2 ฿2,270

-47.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.42 $20.42

$10.73 ฿362

90.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$7.50 ฿253

94.67%

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

$1,283 $1,283

$476 ฿16.1K

169.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

70.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$62.4 ฿2,106

-17.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 $49.62

$28.41 ฿959

74.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 $136

$94.3 ฿3,184

43.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$85.8 ฿2,898

75.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 $1,437

$716 ฿24.2K

100.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 $1,021

$491 ฿16.6K

107.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,887 $2,887

$1,927 ฿65.1K

49.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,431 ฿48.3K

32.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 $4,357

$4,175 ฿141.0K

4.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,761 $1,761

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-42.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 $3,901

$502 ฿17.0K

676.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

5.57

15.62%

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

Last update for San Antonio, TX: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Antonio, TX

$1K 43.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 51.9% $530

Groceries & Markets

San Antonio, TX

$392 16.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 32.1% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Antonio, TX

$365 15.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.9% $241

Eating Out

San Antonio, TX

$295 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.7% $173

Clothing & Footwear

San Antonio, TX

$174 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30% $52

Sport & Entertainment

San Antonio, TX

$64 2.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 27.6% $18

Getting Around

San Antonio, TX

$56 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 27% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,437 in San Antonio, TX and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Antonio, TX pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in San Antonio, TX vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Antonio, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

12 h ahead of San Antonio, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,434,625

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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San Antonio, TX Phuket 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

San Antonio, TX
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

San Antonio, TX vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in San Antonio, TX is about 7.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,437 in San Antonio, TX versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,283 in San Antonio, TX versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in San Antonio, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,367 in San Antonio, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Antonio, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, San Antonio, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.