Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 85.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 200.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 80.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 127.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.90 $24.90

$4.65 ฿147

435.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$46.11 ฿1,460

116.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$8.74 ฿277

15.90%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$3.04 ฿96.2

87.83%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.72 ฿22.80

268.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.39 ฿12.38

428.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.44 ฿77.2

218.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.07 $9.07

$3.79 ฿120

139.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.14 ฿67.9

-37.38%

White Bread (500g)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.86 ฿58.9

172.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.19 ฿69.2

110.50%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$2.25 ฿71.1

136.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$19.73 ฿625

-36.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 $11.77

$3.79 ฿120

210.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$13.55 ฿429

6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.25 ฿103

91.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.67 ฿52.9

9.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.39 ฿75.7

61.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.09 ฿66.2

168.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.53 ฿48.39

105.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.51 ฿47.79

97.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.99 ฿31.30

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.51 ฿16.30

313.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.05 $13.05

$4.27 ฿135

205.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$20.31 ฿643

-19.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.79 ฿56.7

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.77 ฿87.6

47.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.40 ฿44.44

26.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.8 $63.8

$11.70 ฿370

445.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.11 ฿98.4

97.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.99 ฿31.48

103.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 $51.7

$13.73 ฿435

276.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.32 ฿41.75

-6.82%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$27.2K ฿862.0K

2.85%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-23.42%

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

$204 $204

$120 ฿3,811

69.26%

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

$53.9 $53.9

$13.93 ฿441

287.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$18.31 ฿579

295.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$60.9 ฿1,928

10.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$17.23 ฿545

4.53%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 $12.66

$8.71 ฿276

45.35%

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

$1,428 $1,428

$698 ฿22.1K

104.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.0K $37.0K

$15.7K ฿498.0K

135.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$57.6 ฿1,824

21.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.05 $41.05

$34.24 ฿1,084

19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$113 ฿3,582

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$84.8 ฿2,684

70.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$604 ฿19.1K

335.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 $2,301

$436 ฿13.8K

427.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 $5,234

$2,057 ฿65.1K

154.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,468 $4,468

$1,498 ฿47.4K

198.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,997 $9,997

$4,252 ฿134.6K

135.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,952 $9,952

$2,988 ฿94.6K

233.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,093 $5,093

$529 ฿16.7K

862.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.33

25.33%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, 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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