Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,643

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,643
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,423 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,423
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,203 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,203
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santa Cruz de La Palma is roughly 29% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz de La Palma is 21% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.09 €15.35

$4.47 ฿151

282.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

73.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.10

$8.81 ฿297

27.58%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.18

$2.83 ฿95.5

-14.13%

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

$2.50 €2.25

$0.87 ฿29.43

187.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.49 ฿16.67

269.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.56 ฿86.4

34.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.58

$3.68 ฿124

8.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.66 ฿56.0

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.46 ฿49.35

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.50 ฿50.6

8.00%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$2.09 ฿70.5

58.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 €12.09

$19.07 ฿644

-29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 €7.35

$3.30 ฿111

147.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 €14.20

$10.91 ฿368

44.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.93 ฿99.0

-11.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.69 ฿57.1

23.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.25 ฿75.8

-7.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.35

$2.08 ฿70.1

25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.51 ฿51.0

19.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.38 ฿46.56

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.07 ฿35.99

24.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.52 ฿17.52

32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.57

$4.20 ฿142

47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$18.79 ฿634

-69.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.82 ฿61.5

-33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.84 ฿95.9

-26.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.44

$1.45 ฿49.03

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.40 €29.11

$56.7 ฿1,913

-42.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 €3.61

$3.02 ฿102

33.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.02 ฿34.36

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.84 €20.52

$3.69 ฿125

518.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.47 ฿49.81

17.69%

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

$33.8K €30.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

26.35%

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

$31.0K €27.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

16.26%

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

$143 €128

$96.4 ฿3,254

48.25%

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

$17.79 €15.98

$11.26 ฿380

57.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 €26.46

$16.85 ฿569

74.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.18 €39.68

$67.2 ฿2,270

-34.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 €14.27

$10.73 ฿362

48.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 €8.08

$7.50 ฿253

19.87%

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

$469 €421

$476 ฿16.1K

-1.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,421 €7,564

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-25.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €78.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

39.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 €32.96

$28.41 ฿959

29.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €82.2

$94.3 ฿3,184

-2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €103

$85.8 ฿2,898

33.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 €809

$716 ฿24.2K

25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €614

$491 ฿16.6K

39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 €1,226

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-29.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €912

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,275 €2,942

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-21.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,247 €2,019

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-26.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,341 €1,204

$502 ฿17.0K

166.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$684 41.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 28.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$266 16.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 0% $0

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$242 14.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$190 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$148 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$62 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 32.3% $20

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 41.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz de La Palma pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $266, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

06:15 6:15 AM

7 h ahead of Santa Cruz de La Palma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,441

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz de La Palma Phuket 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Santa Cruz de La Palma is about 2.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $469 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $476 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 versus $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz de La Palma. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Santa Cruz de La Palma on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.