Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Learn more

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,048

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,048
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,946
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,845 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,845
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is roughly 60% 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 Tenerife is 50% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 €18.20

$4.47 ฿151

354.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 €54.4

$32.41 ฿1,093

87.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.85

$8.81 ฿297

24.86%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.79

$2.83 ฿95.4

-29.68%

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

$1.87 €1.67

$0.87 ฿29.41

114.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.49 ฿16.65

153.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.56 ฿86.3

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.94

$3.68 ฿124

-10.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.66 ฿55.9

-16.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.46 ฿49.31

68.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.50 ฿50.5

6.00%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.70

$2.09 ฿70.5

97.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.30

$19.07 ฿643

1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.97

$3.30 ฿111

203.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.56 €15.73

$10.91 ฿368

60.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.93 ฿98.9

-4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.69 ฿57.0

37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.25 ฿75.8

-3.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.08 ฿70.0

23.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.51 ฿51.0

40.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.38 ฿46.52

40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.07 ฿35.96

57.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.52 ฿17.51

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €5.02

$4.20 ฿142

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.09

$18.79 ฿634

-57.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.82 ฿61.5

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$2.84 ฿95.8

-38.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.45 ฿48.98

-5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.15 €39.54

$56.7 ฿1,912

-22.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.76

$3.02 ฿102

39.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.02 ฿34.33

61.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.31

$3.69 ฿125

363.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.47 ฿49.76

10.88%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

33.35%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

16.21%

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

$126 €113

$96.4 ฿3,251

30.79%

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

$22.43 €20.09

$11.26 ฿380

99.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.25 €31.57

$16.85 ฿568

109.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.08

$67.2 ฿2,268

-23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.64 €10.42

$10.73 ฿362

8.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.74 €8.72

$7.50 ฿253

29.87%

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

$408 €365

$476 ฿16.1K

-14.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,972 €4,452

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-55.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.7

$62.4 ฿2,104

46.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.34 €37.03

$28.41 ฿958

45.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 €80.1

$94.3 ฿3,181

-5.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$85.8 ฿2,895

32.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,044

$716 ฿24.2K

62.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 €896

$491 ฿16.6K

103.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,641

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-4.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,274

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-0.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,984 €3,568

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-4.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,266 €2,029

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-25.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,659

$502 ฿16.9K

268.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.57

-36.09%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 26, 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 Tenerife

$1,000 48.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 50.9% $509

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$328 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 18.7% $61

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$253 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 51.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$184 9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$151 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$71 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15.9% $11

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$62 3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 13.7% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

03:47 3:47 AM

7 h ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,395

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Phuket 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is about 3.7 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: $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $408 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 Tenerife on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.