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 85.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 197.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 84% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 135.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.07 $25.07

$4.59 ฿147

446.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$46.83 ฿1,497

114.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$8.70 ฿278

16.55%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$2.92 ฿93.5

90.75%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.68 ฿21.86

288.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.40 ฿12.66

422.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 $7.92

$2.51 ฿80.2

215.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 $8.60

$3.80 ฿122

126.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.16 ฿69.1

-38.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.88 ฿60.1

157.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.16 ฿69.0

118.98%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$2.22 ฿71.0

152.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$19.57 ฿626

-35.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$3.80 ฿122

205.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.41 ฿429

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$3.26 ฿104

99.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.61 ฿51.5

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.31 ฿73.8

62.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.06 ฿65.8

166.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.61 ฿51.3

104.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.44 ฿46.13

106.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.03 ฿32.91

102.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.48 ฿15.34

335.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 $13.16

$4.50 ฿144

192.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 $16.23

$19.18 ฿613

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.82 ฿58.3

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.69 ฿86.0

44.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.38 ฿44.04

24.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.0 $63.0

$11.76 ฿376

435.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.11 ฿99.3

86.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.00 ฿32.09

102.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$13.74 ฿439

265.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.30 ฿41.49

-5.38%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$27.4K ฿874.5K

4.53%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-21.79%

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

$200 $200

$125 ฿3,993

60.31%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$13.74 ฿439

299.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$18.61 ฿595

295.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 $66.4

$60.6 ฿1,936

9.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 $18.19

$17.15 ฿548

6.06%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 $12.54

$9.01 ฿288

39.18%

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

$1,410 $1,410

$698 ฿22.3K

102.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$16.1K ฿515.1K

126.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 $70.3

$59.2 ฿1,893

18.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$34.86 ฿1,115

15.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 $78.0

$114 ฿3,651

-31.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$85.8 ฿2,743

68.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 $2,642

$619 ฿19.8K

327.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 $2,313

$437 ฿14.0K

429.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,082 $5,082

$2,075 ฿66.3K

144.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,332 $4,332

$1,509 ฿48.2K

187.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,949 $9,949

$3,764 ฿120.3K

164.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.1K $10.1K

$2,694 ฿86.1K

275.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,139 $5,139

$528 ฿16.9K

872.36%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

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 Barbara, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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