Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,000 in Santa Ana versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santa Ana $2,000
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,255 in Santa Ana versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santa Ana $3,255
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,510 in Santa Ana versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santa Ana $4,510
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santa Ana is roughly 56% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Ana is 47% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₡5,481

$4.47 ฿151

171.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 ₡28.0K

$32.41 ฿1,094

91.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,349

$8.81 ฿297

34.51%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,039

$2.83 ฿95.4

59.72%

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

$2.23 ₡1,007

$0.87 ฿29.42

156.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₡602

$0.49 ฿16.66

171.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,527

$2.56 ฿86.3

32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,971

$3.68 ฿124

18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₡1,020

$1.66 ฿56.0

36.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,414

$1.46 ฿49.32

114.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$1.50 ฿50.5

66.67%

Eggs

$3.58 ₡1,618

$2.09 ฿70.5

71.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,854

$19.07 ฿643

-43.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,798

$3.30 ฿111

222.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,283

$10.91 ฿368

27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,271

$2.93 ฿98.9

71.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.69 ฿57.0

-2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,127

$2.25 ฿75.8

109.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,770

$2.08 ฿70.1

88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,703

$1.51 ฿51.0

149.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$1.38 ฿46.54

162.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.07 ฿35.97

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡837

$0.52 ฿17.51

255.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 ₡2,606

$4.20 ฿142

37.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ₡8,005

$18.79 ฿634

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$1.82 ฿61.5

54.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$2.84 ฿95.9

-6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$3.02 ฿102

-20.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.02 ฿34.34

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$3.69 ฿125

135.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.47 ฿49.78

6.80%

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

$28.1K ₡12.7M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

4.88%

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

$37.6K ₡17.0M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

40.78%

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

$94.4 ₡42.6K

$96.4 ฿3,252

-1.99%

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

$33.36 ₡15.1K

$11.26 ฿380

196.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$16.85 ฿569

197.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$158 ₡71.3K

$67.2 ฿2,269

135.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 ₡9,945

$10.73 ฿362

105.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,570

$7.50 ฿253

5.47%

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

$993 ₡448.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

108.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

51.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$62.4 ฿2,105

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 ₡25.7K

$28.41 ฿959

100.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$94.3 ฿3,182

36.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.6K

$85.8 ฿2,896

53.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ₡491.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

52.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 ₡388.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

75.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 ₡1.3M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 ₡856.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

32.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₡1.2M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,693 ₡764.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-44.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 ₡640.0K

$502 ฿17.0K

182.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$859 43%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 42.9% $369

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 19%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 29.7% $113

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$227 11.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$178 8.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 52.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.4% $51

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 593% $60

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 $1,088 in Santa Ana and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Ana pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Santa Ana vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

13 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Phuket 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana
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

Santa Ana vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Santa Ana is about 2.8 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: $1,088 in Santa Ana versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $993 in Santa Ana versus $476 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 $32 versus $62 in Santa Ana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,000 in Santa Ana, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Ana. 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 Santa Ana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Ana and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Santa Ana on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.