Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardino, CA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,856

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA versus $1,207 in Phuket.

San Bernardino, CA $2,856
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,354 in San Bernardino, CA versus $2,037 in Phuket.

San Bernardino, CA $4,354
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,853 in San Bernardino, CA versus $2,867 in Phuket.

San Bernardino, CA $5,853
Phuket $2,867

Living in San Bernardino, CA is roughly 137% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Bernardino, CA is 112% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$4.58 ฿153

337.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

135.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.54 $16.54

$8.55 ฿286

93.45%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$2.72 ฿91.0

115.81%

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

$3.54 $3.54

$0.94 ฿31.25

276.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.49 ฿16.39

379.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$2.59 ฿86.6

181.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$3.83 ฿128

144.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.74 ฿58.1

-37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.43 ฿47.82

174.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.53 ฿51.0

206.54%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$2.17 ฿72.7

116.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$19.15 ฿640

-32.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$3.30 ฿110

163.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 $15.33

$11.14 ฿372

37.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.95 ฿98.5

58.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.68 ฿56.1

6.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.30 ฿76.8

76.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.13 ฿71.3

166.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.53 ฿51.1

135.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.36 ฿45.55

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ฿37.44

77.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.55 ฿18.24

238.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$4.26 ฿142

175.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$18.19 ฿608

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.74 ฿58.2

21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.79 ฿93.3

54.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.22 ฿74.1

-7.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 $59.5

$22.06 ฿737

169.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.83 $9.83

$2.91 ฿97.3

237.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.49 ฿49.85

-1.34%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

36.75%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.81%

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

$216 $216

$99.4 ฿3,321

117.03%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$11.28 ฿377

490.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$17.36 ฿580

322.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.64 $39.64

$52.3 ฿1,747

-24.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 $15.33

$7.57 ฿253

102.51%

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

$1,143 $1,143

$558 ฿18.7K

104.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

51.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$62.9 ฿2,102

-0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 $47.37

$28.58 ฿955

65.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$96.1 ฿3,213

9.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$88.1 ฿2,943

64.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$729 ฿24.4K

143.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 $1,442

$460 ฿15.4K

213.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$2,096 ฿70.0K

19.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 $2,783

$1,222 ฿40.8K

127.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,608 $3,608

$3,459 ฿115.6K

4.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,635 $3,635

$2,489 ฿83.2K

46.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$493 ฿16.5K

603.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

5.57

14.72%

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

Last update for San Bernardino, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 68.1% $982

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardino, CA

$389 13.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.2% $121

Eating Out

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 66.2% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardino, CA

$356 12.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64% $228

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardino, CA

$162 5.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23.6% $38

Getting Around

San Bernardino, CA

$78 * 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 49.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardino, CA

$70 2.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4.1% $2.9

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 $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Bernardino, CA pays 603% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

00:58 12:58 AM

14 h ahead of San Bernardino, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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San Bernardino, CA Phuket 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Bernardino, CA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 603% higher in San Bernardino, CA, 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: $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,143 in San Bernardino, CA versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in San Bernardino, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Bernardino, CA. 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 San Bernardino, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Bernardino, CA 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 137% less than in San Bernardino, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.