Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/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: $1,758 in Santa Cruz versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $1,758
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Santa Cruz versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $2,778
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,798 in Santa Cruz versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz $3,798
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santa Cruz is roughly 46% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz is 30% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,523

$4.58 ฿154

168.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$32.48 ฿1,091

92.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 ₡4,856

$8.55 ฿287

26.43%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₡2,059

$2.72 ฿91.5

68.38%

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

$2.20 ₡989

$0.94 ฿31.41

134.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡854

$0.49 ฿16.48

287.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,489

$2.59 ฿87.0

27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,958

$3.83 ฿129

13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,070

$1.74 ฿58.4

36.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,422

$1.43 ฿48.07

120.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,113

$1.53 ฿51.3

62.09%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,599

$2.17 ฿73.1

64.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,717

$19.15 ฿643

-45.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,722

$3.30 ฿111

218.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 ₡6,359

$11.14 ฿374

27.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,336

$2.95 ฿99.0

76.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₡482

$1.68 ฿56.4

-36.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 ₡2,170

$2.30 ฿77.2

110.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$2.13 ฿71.6

83.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$1.53 ฿51.4

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 ₡1,636

$1.36 ฿45.78

167.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.12 ฿37.63

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,383

$0.55 ฿18.33

460.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,596

$4.26 ฿143

35.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 ₡9,068

$18.19 ฿611

10.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,294

$1.74 ฿58.5

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₡1,654

$2.79 ฿93.8

31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡581

$2.22 ฿74.4

-41.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿741

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$2.91 ฿97.8

-14.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.01 ฿33.97

54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.60 ₡3,864

$3.83 ฿129

124.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.49 ฿50.1

4.70%

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

$22.1K ₡9.9M

$26.7K ฿896.2K

-17.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.7K ฿897.2K

29.22%

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

$94.5 ₡42.4K

$99.4 ฿3,338

-4.93%

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

$35.98 ₡16.2K

$11.28 ฿379

218.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡26.9K

$17.36 ฿583

244.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 ₡32.2K

$52.3 ฿1,756

37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 ₡3,034

$7.57 ฿254

-10.83%

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

$978 ₡439.3K

$558 ฿18.8K

75.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$11.5K ฿385.9K

49.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.4K

$62.9 ฿2,112

14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$28.58 ฿960

96.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$96.1 ฿3,229

34.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.1K

$88.1 ฿2,958

49.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 ₡409.8K

$729 ฿24.5K

25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 ₡298.7K

$460 ฿15.5K

44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 ₡759.1K

$2,096 ฿70.4K

-19.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ₡588.5K

$1,222 ฿41.1K

7.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 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

$665 37.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 30.8% $205

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 33.1% $132

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 46.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 32.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$175 10%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 29.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 20.9% $18

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 151% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $912 in Santa Cruz and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Santa Cruz vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Phuket 17,950 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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,637 in Santa Cruz and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $912 in Santa Cruz versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $978 in Santa Cruz versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $63.0 in Santa Cruz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,758 in Santa Cruz, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santa Cruz, 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Santa Cruz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.