Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,734 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,623 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in San Pawl Il-bahar is roughly 37% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pawl Il-bahar is 29% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.55 €17.69

$4.70 ฿154

337.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €67.6

$45.37 ฿1,483

73.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 €9.30

$8.43 ฿276

28.11%

Cappuccino

$2.53 €2.18

$2.93 ฿95.7

-13.65%

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

$3.06 €2.64

$0.69 ฿22.42

343.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €1.97

$0.37 ฿12.00

516.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.27 €3.67

$2.41 ฿78.7

77.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.86

$3.72 ฿122

20.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.20

$2.23 ฿73.0

-37.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.83 ฿59.9

-32.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.19

$2.17 ฿70.9

17.05%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.11

$2.21 ฿72.4

63.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.58

$19.74 ฿645

-49.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 €6.99

$3.63 ฿119

123.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 €8.51

$13.53 ฿442

-26.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.62

$3.28 ฿107

-7.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.61 ฿52.7

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 €2.66

$2.41 ฿78.7

28.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.55

$2.08 ฿68.1

42.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 €1.36

$1.53 ฿49.97

3.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.17

$1.48 ฿48.41

-8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.08

$0.99 ฿32.32

26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.06

$0.51 ฿16.68

141.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.70

$4.41 ฿144

50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.15

$19.38 ฿634

-57.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.35

$1.78 ฿58.1

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.71

$2.71 ฿88.7

-26.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 €2.53

$1.37 ฿44.83

113.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 €5.13

$3.02 ฿98.7

97.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.26

$0.99 ฿32.51

164.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.29 €41.59

$14.10 ฿461

242.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.36 ฿44.55

11.76%

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

$39.5K €34.0K

$28.2K ฿921.9K

40.09%

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

$38.4K €33.1K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

16.68%

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

$67.3 €58.0

$122 ฿3,978

-44.68%

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

$20.07 €17.28

$13.57 ฿444

47.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.02 €37.05

$18.31 ฿599

134.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 €54.5

$60.2 ฿1,969

5.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.75 €19.59

$17.14 ฿560

32.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 €8.92

$8.69 ฿284

19.22%

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

$422 €363

$693 ฿22.7K

-39.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,553

$15.7K ฿512.8K

-29.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 €60.3

$59.5 ฿1,946

17.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.11 €24.21

$34.77 ฿1,137

-19.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 €80.5

$115 ฿3,746

-18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 €80.5

$83.3 ฿2,723

12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 €826

$613 ฿20.0K

56.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 €695

$437 ฿14.3K

84.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 €1,319

$2,094 ฿68.5K

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 €1,112

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-14.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,608 €3,106

$3,749 ฿122.6K

-3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,058 €2,633

$2,616 ฿85.5K

16.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,507

$508 ฿16.6K

244.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

5.33

-38.46%

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

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $960 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pawl Il-bahar pays 244% 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: $79.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $293, with San Pawl Il-bahar 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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

San Pawl Il-bahar pays 244% more on average, 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: $960 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $422 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $693 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 $45.00 versus $79.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,734 in San Pawl Il-bahar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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 Pawl Il-bahar, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Pawl Il-bahar 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 37% less than in San Pawl Il-bahar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.