Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria, CA and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria, CA and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Maria, CA is 50.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 151.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Maria, CA is 60.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 66.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.15 $20.15
$4.65 ฿147
333.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.1 $69.1
$46.11 ฿1,460
49.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.66 $11.66
$8.74 ฿277
33.41%
Cappuccino
$4.75 $4.75
$3.04 ฿96.2
56.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 $2.53
$0.72 ฿22.80
251.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$0.39 ฿12.38
433.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.99 $5.99
$2.44 ฿77.2
145.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.98 $7.98
$3.79 ฿120
110.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.14 ฿67.9
-53.27%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 $2.79
$1.86 ฿58.9
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.84 $4.84
$2.19 ฿69.2
121.00%
Eggs
$3.53 $3.53
$2.25 ฿71.1
56.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.29 $10.29
$19.73 ฿625
-47.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 $8.34
$3.79 ฿120
120.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.81 $16.81
$13.55 ฿429
24.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.78 $3.78
$3.25 ฿103
16.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.67 ฿52.9
-1.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.51 $3.51
$2.39 ฿75.7
46.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 $3.34
$2.09 ฿66.2
59.81%
Potato (1kg)
$3.05 $3.05
$1.53 ฿48.39
99.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.51 ฿47.79
34.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 $1.77
$0.99 ฿31.30
78.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 $1.37
$0.51 ฿16.30
168.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.07 $11.07
$4.27 ฿135
159.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.18 $15.18
$20.31 ฿643
-25.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.79 ฿56.7
-5.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 $3.42
$2.77 ฿87.6
23.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.40 ฿44.44
46.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿370
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 $3.49
$3.11 ฿98.4
12.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 $1.84
$0.99 ฿31.48
85.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.42 $25.42
$13.73 ฿435
85.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.32 ฿41.75
-3.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K $36.7K
$27.2K ฿862.0K
34.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-13.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 $167
$120 ฿3,811
38.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.82 $49.82
$13.93 ฿441
257.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$83.1 $83.1
$18.31 ฿579
354.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.54 $43.54
$60.9 ฿1,928
-28.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.23 ฿545
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.24 $14.24
$8.71 ฿276
63.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$982 $982
$698 ฿22.1K
40.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K $12.9K
$15.7K ฿498.0K
-18.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 $57.1
$57.6 ฿1,824
-1.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.47 $39.47
$34.24 ฿1,084
15.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.3 $71.3
$113 ฿3,582
-37.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 $78.1
$84.8 ฿2,684
-7.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,244 $2,244
$604 ฿19.1K
271.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,015 $2,015
$436 ฿13.8K
361.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,382 $3,382
$2,057 ฿65.1K
64.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,061 $3,061
$1,498 ฿47.4K
104.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,625 $8,625
$4,252 ฿134.6K
102.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,627 $8,627
$2,988 ฿94.6K
188.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Maria, CA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,187 $4,187
$529 ฿16.7K
691.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
5.33
22.14%

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

Last update for Santa Maria, CA: March 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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