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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 37.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 22.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 35.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 4.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.82 โ‚ก5,364
$4.51 เธฟ142
139.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.5 โ‚ก29.5K
$46.08 เธฟ1,449
29.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.13 โ‚ก5,025
$8.78 เธฟ276
15.38%
Cappuccino
$3.89 โ‚ก1,929
$3.09 เธฟ97.0
25.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 โ‚ก989
$0.70 เธฟ21.97
185.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 โ‚ก788
$0.40 เธฟ12.46
297.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 โ‚ก1,461
$2.40 เธฟ75.5
22.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.65 โ‚ก2,306
$3.68 เธฟ116
26.36%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 โ‚ก1,022
$2.25 เธฟ70.6
-8.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.76 โ‚ก1,368
$1.87 เธฟ58.8
47.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 โ‚ก1,111
$2.22 เธฟ69.8
0.90%
Eggs
$2.92 โ‚ก1,449
$2.23 เธฟ70.1
30.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.96 โ‚ก4,443
$19.68 เธฟ619
-54.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.29 โ‚ก4,608
$3.66 เธฟ115
153.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 โ‚ก6,814
$13.09 เธฟ411
4.97%
Apples (1kg)
$4.53 โ‚ก2,248
$3.38 เธฟ106
34.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 โ‚ก622
$1.69 เธฟ53.3
-25.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.35 โ‚ก1,165
$2.33 เธฟ73.2
0.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.44 โ‚ก1,707
$1.98 เธฟ62.4
73.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.95 โ‚ก1,464
$1.55 เธฟ48.77
90.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.90 โ‚ก1,436
$1.51 เธฟ47.42
92.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 โ‚ก362
$0.98 เธฟ30.84
-25.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 โ‚ก1,393
$0.48 เธฟ15.01
485.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.34 โ‚ก2,648
$4.35 เธฟ137
22.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.28 โ‚ก6,088
$20.65 เธฟ649
-40.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 โ‚ก1,198
$1.77 เธฟ55.8
36.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 โ‚ก1,445
$2.75 เธฟ86.6
5.82%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 โ‚ก474
$1.37 เธฟ43.19
-29.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.36 เธฟ357
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.79 โ‚ก885
$3.11 เธฟ97.8
-42.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 โ‚ก479
$1.05 เธฟ32.96
-7.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.78 โ‚ก3,855
$13.72 เธฟ431
-43.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 โ‚ก700
$1.34 เธฟ42.16
5.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K โ‚ก18.6M
$27.7K เธฟ869.6K
35.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.0K โ‚ก15.9M
$33.6K เธฟ1.1M
-4.75%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.6 โ‚ก34.0K
$122 เธฟ3,835
-43.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.60 โ‚ก12.7K
$13.61 เธฟ428
88.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 โ‚ก29.3K
$18.49 เธฟ581
219.96%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 โ‚ก28.3K
$61.7 เธฟ1,939
-7.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.89 โ‚ก11.8K
$16.70 เธฟ525
43.05%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 โ‚ก4,408
$9.09 เธฟ286
-2.20%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 โ‚ก281.4K
$702 เธฟ22.1K
-19.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K โ‚ก6.4M
$16.0K เธฟ502.8K
-19.80%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.8 โ‚ก30.6K
$58.9 เธฟ1,851
4.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.3 โ‚ก25.9K
$34.41 เธฟ1,082
52.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 โ‚ก63.3K
$113 เธฟ3,545
13.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 โ‚ก53.7K
$84.7 เธฟ2,662
27.90%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$776 โ‚ก384.5K
$606 เธฟ19.1K
27.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$587 โ‚ก290.9K
$435 เธฟ13.7K
34.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,502 โ‚ก744.8K
$2,069 เธฟ65.0K
-27.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$957 โ‚ก474.3K
$1,473 เธฟ46.3K
-35.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,681 โ‚ก833.2K
$4,445 เธฟ139.8K
-62.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,670 โ‚ก827.9K
$2,988 เธฟ93.9K
-44.11%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$547 เธฟ17.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9
5.33
68.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Barbara: January 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 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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