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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 106% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 232.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 92.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 133.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.89 $22.89

$4.65 ฿149

392.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$46.11 ฿1,474

72.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 $12.68

$8.74 ฿279

45.08%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.04 ฿97.1

96.38%

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

$3.39 $3.39

$0.72 ฿23.03

370.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.39 ฿12.50

530.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.44 ฿78.0

182.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.79 ฿121

93.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.14 ฿68.6

-36.45%

White Bread (500g)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.86 ฿59.5

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$2.19 ฿69.9

209.13%

Eggs

$6.10 $6.10

$2.25 ฿71.8

171.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.51 $23.51

$19.73 ฿631

19.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$3.79 ฿121

289.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.74 $23.74

$13.55 ฿433

75.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$3.25 ฿104

122.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.67 ฿53.4

74.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.39 ฿76.5

117.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$2.09 ฿66.9

270.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.53 ฿48.88

150.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.51 ฿48.27

156.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.99 ฿31.62

185.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.51 ฿16.46

454.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 $13.84

$4.27 ฿137

224.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.42 $30.42

$20.31 ฿649

49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.79 ฿57.3

15.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.77 ฿88.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.40 ฿44.89

46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$11.70 ฿374

460.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.11 ฿99.4

30.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.99 ฿31.80

94.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 $39.13

$13.73 ฿439

185.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.32 ฿42.17

-2.27%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$27.2K ฿870.7K

29.59%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-25.26%

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

$222 $222

$120 ฿3,849

84.17%

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

$47.69 $47.69

$13.93 ฿445

242.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$18.31 ฿585

261.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$60.9 ฿1,948

-2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$16.77 $16.77

$8.71 ฿278

92.54%

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

$3,166 $3,166

$698 ฿22.3K

353.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$15.7K ฿503.0K

144.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 $62.4

$57.6 ฿1,843

8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$34.24 ฿1,095

31.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$113 ฿3,618

-28.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$84.8 ฿2,711

37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 $2,924

$604 ฿19.3K

384.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$436 ฿13.9K

493.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$2,057 ฿65.8K

175.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,152 $4,152

$1,498 ฿47.9K

177.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,946 $7,946

$4,252 ฿135.9K

86.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K $11.4K

$2,988 ฿95.5K

280.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,566 $5,566

$529 ฿16.9K

951.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.33

19.32%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: March 1, 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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