Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: San Diego, CA is 88.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 212.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Diego, CA is 87.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 125.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.33 $23.33
$4.65 ฿147
401.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$46.11 ฿1,454
117.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.83 $14.83
$8.74 ฿276
69.68%
Cappuccino
$5.84 $5.84
$3.04 ฿95.8
92.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 $2.97
$0.72 ฿22.72
312.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 $2.60
$0.39 ฿12.34
566.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.09 $8.09
$2.44 ฿77.0
231.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.02 $9.02
$3.79 ฿120
137.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 $1.22
$2.14 ฿67.7
-42.99%
White Bread (500g)
$4.49 $4.49
$1.86 ฿58.7
141.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.35 $4.35
$2.19 ฿69.0
98.63%
Eggs
$5.29 $5.29
$2.25 ฿70.8
135.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.72 $13.72
$19.73 ฿622
-30.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.58 $12.58
$3.79 ฿119
231.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.75 $18.75
$13.55 ฿427
38.38%
Apples (1kg)
$4.58 $4.58
$3.25 ฿102
40.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.67 ฿52.7
-0.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$2.39 ฿75.5
62.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$2.09 ฿66.0
129.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.53 ฿48.22
90.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 $2.48
$1.51 ฿47.62
64.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$0.99 ฿31.19
122.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$0.51 ฿16.24
386.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.96 $11.96
$4.27 ฿135
180.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.16 $15.16
$20.31 ฿640
-25.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.79 ฿56.5
-2.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 $2.46
$2.77 ฿87.3
-11.19%
🚌 Getting Around
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.49 $2.49
$1.40 ฿44.29
77.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.6 $71.6
$11.70 ฿369
512.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 $3.09
$3.11 ฿98.1
-0.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 $1.99
$0.99 ฿31.37
101.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.44 $28.44
$13.73 ฿433
107.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.32 ฿41.60
-6.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K $30.7K
$27.2K ฿859.0K
12.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-19.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$273 $273
$120 ฿3,797
126.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.0 $69.0
$13.93 ฿439
395.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$78.6 $78.6
$18.31 ฿577
329.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.1 $67.1
$60.9 ฿1,922
10.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.53 $24.53
$17.23 ฿544
42.37%
Cinema Ticket
$15.99 $15.99
$8.71 ฿275
83.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,616 $1,616
$698 ฿22.0K
131.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.5K $28.5K
$15.7K ฿496.2K
80.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.4 $58.4
$57.6 ฿1,818
1.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.4 $58.4
$34.24 ฿1,080
70.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 $99.3
$113 ฿3,569
-12.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$84.8 ฿2,675
36.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 $2,812
$604 ฿19.0K
365.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,356 $2,356
$436 ฿13.8K
440.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,894 $4,894
$2,057 ฿64.9K
137.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,099 $4,099
$1,498 ฿47.3K
173.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,662 $8,662
$4,252 ฿134.1K
103.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,713 $6,713
$2,988 ฿94.2K
124.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Diego, CA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,594 $5,594
$529 ฿16.7K
957.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.39
5.33
19.89%

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

Last update for San Diego, CA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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