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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,654 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,384 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,114 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Santa Cruz de La Palma is roughly 34% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz de La Palma is 24% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 €12.93

$4.63 ฿151

227.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 €48.61

$46.84 ฿1,523

21.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 €8.85

$8.84 ฿287

17.19%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.84

$3.00 ฿97.4

-28.00%

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

$2.44 €2.09

$0.74 ฿24.11

229.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.40

$0.37 ฿11.88

343.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 €2.98

$2.44 ฿79.3

43.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €2.91

$3.61 ฿117

-5.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.04

$2.26 ฿73.5

-46.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.24

$1.84 ฿59.8

-21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.38

$2.24 ฿73.0

-28.13%

Eggs

$2.92 €2.49

$2.32 ฿75.3

25.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €11.41

$19.67 ฿639

-32.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 €7.36

$3.65 ฿119

136.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.17 €12.95

$13.10 ฿426

15.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.11

$3.39 ฿110

-27.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.68

$1.64 ฿53.4

20.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$2.41 ฿78.5

-20.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.26

$2.03 ฿66.0

30.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.54

$1.56 ฿50.6

15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.63

$1.50 ฿48.66

27.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.15

$1.02 ฿33.30

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.63

$0.49 ฿15.91

51.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.26

$4.45 ฿145

38.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €4.83

$18.88 ฿614

-70.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.03

$1.78 ฿57.7

-32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.74

$2.75 ฿89.5

-25.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.42

$1.40 ฿45.54

18.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.53 €28.64

$11.48 ฿373

192.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 €3.54

$3.12 ฿101

33.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.08

$1.00 ฿32.48

26.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.31 €20.76

$14.09 ฿458

72.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.49

$1.35 ฿43.93

28.89%

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

$38.9K €33.2K

$27.2K ฿883.7K

43.12%

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

$30.4K €26.0K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-7.55%

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

$135 €115

$125 ฿4,063

7.73%

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

$20.77 €17.74

$13.57 ฿441

53.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.65 €27.03

$18.52 ฿602

70.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.34 €40.42

$61.5 ฿1,999

-23.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 €13.02

$16.84 ฿547

-9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.51 €8.12

$9.19 ฿299

3.48%

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

$407 €348

$698 ฿22.7K

-41.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 €6,489

$15.6K ฿506.9K

-51.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €73.3

$57.8 ฿1,878

48.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.34 €31.03

$35.24 ฿1,146

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €75.0

$113 ฿3,677

-22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €91.6

$86.4 ฿2,808

24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 €718

$616 ฿20.0K

36.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €600

$446 ฿14.5K

57.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 €1,144

$2,048 ฿66.6K

-34.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €855

$1,492 ฿48.5K

-32.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,569 €3,048

$3,779 ฿122.8K

-5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,385 €2,037

$2,649 ฿86.1K

-9.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,416 €1,210

$524 ฿17.0K

170.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.33

-34.33%

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

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $841 in Santa Cruz de La Palma and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz de La Palma pays 170% 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: $57.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $292, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper for home cooking.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Santa Cruz de La Palma pays 170% more on average, 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: $841 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $407 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santa Cruz de La Palma pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,654 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.

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

Safety-wise, Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 34% less than in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.