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 $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,509 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in San Pawl Il-bahar is roughly 39% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pawl Il-bahar is 30% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.73 €18.16

$4.55 ฿153

355.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 €68.4

$46.18 ฿1,553

69.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.75

$8.84 ฿297

25.90%

Cappuccino

$2.61 €2.28

$3.06 ฿103

-14.71%

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

$3.00 €2.63

$0.73 ฿24.40

310.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.92

$0.40 ฿13.39

447.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 €3.83

$2.43 ฿81.8

79.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.09

$3.78 ฿127

23.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.19

$2.26 ฿76.0

-39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 €1.08

$1.81 ฿60.9

-31.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.26

$2.25 ฿75.8

14.67%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.26

$2.25 ฿75.5

65.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 €8.54

$19.51 ฿656

-50.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €6.99

$3.65 ฿123

118.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.65 €8.45

$13.05 ฿439

-26.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.80

$3.23 ฿109

-1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.85

$1.62 ฿54.4

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.58

$2.38 ฿80.1

23.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 €2.55

$2.03 ฿68.1

43.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.44

$1.53 ฿51.6

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.18

$1.50 ฿50.5

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.10

$0.98 ฿32.91

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.09

$0.52 ฿17.39

140.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.63

$4.44 ฿149

44.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 €7.08

$18.32 ฿616

-55.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.39

$1.86 ฿62.7

-14.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.73

$2.68 ฿90.1

-26.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.49

$1.41 ฿47.46

101.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 €5.04

$3.11 ฿105

84.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.33

$1.04 ฿35.06

155.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.36 €43.23

$14.11 ฿474

249.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.31 ฿44.10

16.03%

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

$38.3K €33.5K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

37.62%

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

$37.8K €33.1K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

13.72%

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

$66.8 €58.5

$122 ฿4,118

-45.47%

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

$20.57 €18.02

$13.59 ฿457

51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.03 €36.81

$18.70 ฿629

124.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 €54.7

$60.5 ฿2,034

3.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.44 €20.53

$16.98 ฿571

38.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 €8.87

$9.07 ฿305

11.58%

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

$426 €373

$706 ฿23.8K

-39.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,623

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-30.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 €60.6

$58.6 ฿1,969

18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.98 €24.51

$35.36 ฿1,189

-20.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 €79.6

$115 ฿3,883

-21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 €81.7

$83.7 ฿2,816

11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$962 €843

$626 ฿21.0K

53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 €698

$445 ฿15.0K

79.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,346

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-24.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,170

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-10.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,563 €3,120

$3,483 ฿117.1K

2.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,006 €2,633

$2,577 ฿86.7K

16.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 €1,519

$500 ฿16.8K

247.09%

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: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $962 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pawl Il-bahar pays 247% 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: $78.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $289, 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 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 247% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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: $962 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $426 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $706 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 $46.00 versus $78.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 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 39% less than in San Pawl Il-bahar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.