Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,916

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Santa Fe, NM $2,916
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,885 in Santa Fe, NM versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Santa Fe, NM $3,885
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,854 in Santa Fe, NM versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Santa Fe, NM $4,854
Phuket $2,822

Living in Santa Fe, NM is roughly 145% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Fe, NM is 118% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 $16.87

$4.35 ฿146

287.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 $69.1

$32.45 ฿1,087

113.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$8.42 ฿282

19.36%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$2.81 ฿94.0

74.73%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$0.87 ฿29.31

237.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.46 ฿15.40

406.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

128.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.64 ฿122

89.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.71 ฿57.2

-46.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.45 ฿48.45

124.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.56 ฿52.3

182.05%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.10 ฿70.3

105.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 $11.88

$19.53 ฿654

-39.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$3.40 ฿114

177.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$11.14 ฿373

51.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.83 ฿94.9

67.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.62 ฿54.4

-9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.22 ฿74.5

77.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.15 ฿71.9

98.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.49 ฿49.98

108.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.33 ฿44.43

54.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.07 ฿35.74

82.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.51 ฿17.02

401.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 $10.37

$4.38 ฿147

136.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$18.77 ฿629

-15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.74 ฿58.3

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.78 ฿93.0

31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.02 ฿101

17.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.06 ฿35.45

91.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.54 $32.54

$3.71 ฿124

777.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.43 ฿47.91

-32.87%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$26.3K ฿882.6K

17.59%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$26.2K ฿877.8K

-5.49%

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

$158 $158

$96.7 ฿3,238

63.35%

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

$44.76 $44.76

$11.41 ฿382

292.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$17.11 ฿573

331.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 $87.9

$52.8 ฿1,769

66.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$7.65 ฿256

72.16%

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

$1,326 $1,326

$555 ฿18.6K

139.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$11.3K ฿377.9K

34.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$63.4 ฿2,124

-14.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 $43.46

$28.61 ฿958

51.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$96.7 ฿3,240

-18.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$88.6 ฿2,968

35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 $2,307

$735 ฿24.6K

214.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 $1,700

$458 ฿15.3K

271.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,584 $3,584

$2,102 ฿70.4K

70.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,187 ฿39.8K

88.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 $6,631

$3,493 ฿117.0K

89.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,202 $4,202

$2,491 ฿83.5K

68.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,757 $3,757

$501 ฿16.8K

650.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 58.5%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 73.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.1%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 29.6% $113

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 9.9%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 58.7% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$276 9.5%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 54.7% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$134 4.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 6.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$114 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 40.4% $46

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 186% $26

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 $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe, NM pays 650% 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: $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

13 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Santa Fe, NM Phuket 14,540 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
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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 Fe, NM vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 650% higher in Santa Fe, NM, 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: $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,326 in Santa Fe, NM versus $555 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 $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Fe, NM. 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 Fe, NM, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Fe, NM 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 145% less than in Santa Fe, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.