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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 37.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 23.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 29.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.77 ₡5,091
$4.65 ฿148
131.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.0 ₡27.9K
$46.11 ฿1,463
27.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.79 ₡4,630
$8.74 ฿277
12.01%
Cappuccino
$3.79 ₡1,794
$3.04 ฿96.4
24.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ₡982
$0.72 ฿22.85
188.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₡782
$0.39 ฿12.41
323.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 ₡1,440
$2.44 ฿77.4
24.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 ₡2,169
$3.79 ฿120
21.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 ₡936
$2.14 ฿68.0
-7.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 ₡1,349
$1.86 ฿59.0
53.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 ₡1,054
$2.19 ฿69.4
1.83%
Eggs
$3.01 ₡1,423
$2.25 ฿71.2
33.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.78 ₡4,149
$19.73 ฿626
-55.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.24 ₡4,368
$3.79 ฿120
143.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.88 ₡6,562
$13.55 ฿430
2.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.41 ₡2,083
$3.25 ฿103
35.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 ₡605
$1.67 ฿53.0
-23.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,144
$2.39 ฿75.9
1.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 ₡1,637
$2.09 ฿66.4
65.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.94 ₡1,392
$1.53 ฿48.50
92.16%
Onion (1kg)
$3.01 ₡1,424
$1.51 ฿47.89
99.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 ₡325
$0.99 ฿31.37
-30.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 ₡1,402
$0.51 ฿16.33
482.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.34 ₡2,526
$4.27 ฿136
25.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.60 ₡5,958
$20.31 ฿644
-37.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 ₡1,193
$1.79 ฿56.8
40.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₡1,345
$2.77 ฿87.8
2.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 ₡475
$1.40 ฿44.54
-28.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿371
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 ₡871
$3.11 ฿98.7
-40.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 ₡448
$0.99 ฿31.55
-4.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ₡3,650
$13.73 ฿436
-43.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₡693
$1.32 ฿41.84
11.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K ₡18.0M
$27.2K ฿863.9K
39.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K ₡15.4M
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-4.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.0 ₡31.7K
$120 ฿3,819
-44.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.57 ₡12.1K
$13.93 ฿442
83.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 ₡28.4K
$18.31 ฿581
228.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 ₡27.3K
$60.9 ฿1,933
-5.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.75 ₡11.2K
$17.23 ฿547
37.84%
Cinema Ticket
$8.93 ₡4,223
$8.71 ฿276
2.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 ₡267.7K
$698 ฿22.1K
-18.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K ₡6.1M
$15.7K ฿499.1K
-18.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.3 ₡29.9K
$57.6 ฿1,828
9.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.2 ₡24.2K
$34.24 ฿1,086
49.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 ₡59.9K
$113 ฿3,590
12.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₡51.0K
$84.8 ฿2,690
27.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$752 ₡355.4K
$604 ฿19.2K
24.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 ₡278.6K
$436 ฿13.8K
35.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 ₡726.1K
$2,057 ฿65.2K
-25.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$955 ₡451.5K
$1,498 ฿47.5K
-36.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,796 ₡849.3K
$4,252 ฿134.9K
-57.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,795 ₡848.4K
$2,988 ฿94.8K
-39.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$529 ฿16.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9
5.33
68.86%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara: February 28, 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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