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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz is 22.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 26.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 42.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 5.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ₡5,193

$4.65 ฿148

136.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡28.6K

$46.11 ฿1,463

31.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 ₡4,602

$8.74 ฿277

11.33%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,805

$3.04 ฿96.4

25.66%

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

$2.00 ₡945

$0.72 ฿22.85

177.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡776

$0.39 ฿12.41

320.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,388

$2.44 ฿77.4

20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 ₡2,194

$3.79 ฿120

22.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡963

$2.14 ฿68.0

-4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,319

$1.86 ฿59.0

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,056

$2.19 ฿69.4

1.83%

Eggs

$3.00 ₡1,416

$2.25 ฿71.2

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 ₡4,591

$19.73 ฿626

-50.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,278

$3.79 ฿120

138.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ₡6,390

$13.55 ฿430

-0.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,145

$3.25 ฿103

39.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ₡446

$1.67 ฿53.0

-43.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ₡1,979

$2.39 ฿75.9

75.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,700

$2.09 ฿66.4

71.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,608

$1.53 ฿48.50

122.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 ₡1,481

$1.51 ฿47.89

107.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡476

$0.99 ฿31.37

2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₡1,393

$0.51 ฿16.33

478.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,438

$4.27 ฿136

20.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,610

$20.31 ฿644

0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₡1,147

$1.79 ฿56.8

35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,319

$2.77 ฿87.8

0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡487

$1.40 ฿44.54

-26.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡842

$3.11 ฿98.7

-42.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 ₡847

$0.99 ฿31.55

80.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,822

$13.73 ฿436

-41.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡665

$1.32 ฿41.84

6.82%

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

$37.1K ₡17.5M

$27.2K ฿863.9K

36.24%

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

$32.5K ₡15.3M

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-4.85%

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

$94.3 ₡44.6K

$120 ฿3,819

-21.69%

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

$25.42 ₡12.0K

$13.93 ฿442

82.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 ₡25.7K

$18.31 ฿581

197.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ₡26.4K

$60.9 ฿1,933

-8.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 ₡11.3K

$17.23 ฿547

38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ₡2,843

$8.71 ฿276

-31.00%

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

$574 ₡271.5K

$698 ฿22.1K

-17.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡6.1M

$15.7K ฿499.1K

-18.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ₡29.3K

$57.6 ฿1,828

7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡24.7K

$34.24 ฿1,086

52.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡58.8K

$113 ฿3,590

9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡50.4K

$84.8 ฿2,690

25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 ₡366.5K

$604 ฿19.2K

28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₡286.4K

$436 ฿13.8K

38.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 ₡713.9K

$2,057 ฿65.2K

-26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 ₡457.9K

$1,498 ฿47.5K

-35.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿134.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿94.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

5.33

90.81%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: 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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