Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Santa Cruz versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $639
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,172 in Santa Cruz versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $1,172
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,704 in Santa Cruz versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $1,704
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santa Cruz costs roughly 47% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz 53% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 BOB 23.19

$4.58 ฿153

-56.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.80 BOB 195

$32.48 ฿1,086

-48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 BOB 59.2

$8.55 ฿286

-40.35%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.52

$2.72 ฿91.0

-34.93%

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

$0.49 BOB 5.72

$0.94 ฿31.25

-47.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.97

$0.49 ฿16.39

-12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 BOB 9.97

$2.59 ฿86.6

-66.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BOB 14.35

$3.83 ฿128

-67.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 BOB 8.23

$1.74 ฿58.1

-59.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 BOB 10.88

$1.43 ฿47.82

-34.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BOB 11.93

$1.53 ฿51.0

-32.68%

Eggs

$1.06 BOB 12.27

$2.17 ฿72.7

-51.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 BOB 36.56

$19.15 ฿640

-83.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 BOB 29.92

$3.30 ฿110

-21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 BOB 57.8

$11.14 ฿372

-55.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

$2.95 ฿98.5

-38.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BOB 7.24

$1.68 ฿56.1

-63.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 8.81

$2.30 ฿76.8

-66.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 BOB 8.48

$2.13 ฿71.3

-65.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.55

$1.53 ฿51.1

-51.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BOB 7.75

$1.36 ฿45.55

-50.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 BOB 6.66

$1.12 ฿37.44

-49.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BOB 7.36

$0.55 ฿18.24

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

$4.26 ฿142

-54.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 BOB 50.2

$18.19 ฿608

-76.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 BOB 11.86

$1.74 ฿58.2

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BOB 19.01

$2.79 ฿93.3

-41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 BOB 2.78

$2.22 ฿74.1

-89.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

$22.06 ฿737

1.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BOB 19.05

$2.91 ฿97.3

-43.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BOB 10.58

$1.01 ฿33.79

-9.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 BOB 73.3

$3.83 ฿128

64.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 BOB 6.59

$1.49 ฿49.85

-61.74%

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

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-47.28%

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

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-27.88%

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

$34.84 BOB 405

$99.4 ฿3,321

-64.94%

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

$19.67 BOB 228

$11.28 ฿377

74.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 BOB 204

$17.36 ฿580

0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.56 BOB 227

$52.3 ฿1,747

-62.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

$10.85 ฿362

18.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BOB 68.1

$7.57 ฿253

-22.59%

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

$112 BOB 1,303

$558 ฿18.7K

-79.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-74.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.21 BOB 316

$62.9 ฿2,102

-56.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

$28.58 ฿955

25.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 BOB 769

$96.1 ฿3,213

-31.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

$88.1 ฿2,943

-33.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 BOB 3,105

$729 ฿24.4K

-63.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 BOB 2,869

$460 ฿15.4K

-46.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 BOB 10.6K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 BOB 9,630

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-32.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-62.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 BOB 8,551

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-70.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 BOB 3,204

$493 ฿16.5K

-44.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.17

5.57

10.77%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 86.2% $213

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 139% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 77.7% $56

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 92.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 116% $36

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 31.2% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $267 in Santa Cruz and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 79% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Santa Cruz vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $268 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

11 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Phuket 17,740 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Cruz is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $267 in Santa Cruz versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $112 in Santa Cruz versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 139% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $639 in Santa Cruz versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santa Cruz is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Cruz and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.