Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,066 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in San Sebastian versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Sebastian $2,066
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in San Sebastian versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Sebastian $3,076
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in San Sebastian versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Sebastian $4,086
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Sebastian is roughly 62% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Sebastian is 52% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.88

$4.47 ฿151

321.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$32.41 ฿1,093

91.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.65

$8.81 ฿297

22.36%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$2.83 ฿95.4

-18.37%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$0.87 ฿29.41

226.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.49 ฿16.65

232.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.56 ฿86.3

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$3.68 ฿124

0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.66 ฿55.9

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.46 ฿49.31

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.50 ฿50.5

22.67%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$2.09 ฿70.5

73.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.25

$19.07 ฿643

18.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$3.30 ฿111

139.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.49

$10.91 ฿368

89.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.93 ฿98.9

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.69 ฿57.0

63.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$2.25 ฿75.8

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.08 ฿70.0

40.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.51 ฿51.0

72.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.38 ฿46.52

47.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.07 ฿35.96

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.52 ฿17.51

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$4.20 ฿142

61.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$18.79 ฿634

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.82 ฿61.5

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.84 ฿95.8

-37.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.45 ฿48.98

48.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.17

$56.7 ฿1,912

-40.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$3.02 ฿102

125.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.02 ฿34.33

-12.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.77

$3.69 ฿125

498.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.47 ฿49.76

15.65%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

31.48%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

16.24%

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

$136 €122

$96.4 ฿3,251

41.09%

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

$25.48 €22.82

$11.26 ฿380

126.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.89

$16.85 ฿568

111.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.83

$67.2 ฿2,268

-37.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.45

$10.73 ฿362

81.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$7.50 ฿253

13.47%

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

$454 €406

$476 ฿16.1K

-4.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

24.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$62.4 ฿2,104

61.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.31

$28.41 ฿958

15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.4

$94.3 ฿3,181

-21.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$85.8 ฿2,895

54.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,316

$716 ฿24.2K

105.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$491 ฿16.6K

108.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,123

$1,927 ฿65.0K

23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,497

$1,431 ฿48.3K

16.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,789

$4,175 ฿140.9K

135.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,800

$3,045 ฿102.7K

76.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,696

$502 ฿16.9K

499.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

5.57

-47.58%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 52% $533

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 18.6% $61

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 51.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 38.8% $23

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 31.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Sebastian vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

6 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Phuket 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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 Sebastian vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in San Sebastian is about 6 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: $1,470 in San Sebastian versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $454 in San Sebastian 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 23% higher in San Sebastian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,066 in San Sebastian, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Sebastian. 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 Sebastian on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.