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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Monica, CA is 84.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 261.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 78.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 196.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.29 $25.29
$4.68 ฿151
440.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$99.5 $99.5
$46.4 ฿1,502
114.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.3 $12.3
$8.65 ฿280
42.20%
Cappuccino
$5.68 $5.68
$3.09 ฿100
83.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$0.73 ฿23.53
294.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 $2.3
$0.37 ฿11.95
521.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.59 $8.59
$2.39 ฿77.4
259.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.32 $9.32
$3.62 ฿117
157.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 $1.18
$2.24 ฿72.5
-47.32%
White Bread (500g)
$4.45 $4.45
$1.8 ฿58.2
147.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.49 $4.49
$2.24 ฿72.3
100.45%
Eggs
$7.19 $7.19
$2.23 ฿72.1
222.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.47 $12.47
$19.31 ฿625
-35.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.7 $13.7
$3.77 ฿122
263.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.46 $14.46
$13.05 ฿422
10.80%
Apples (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$3.28 ฿106
63.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.63 ฿52.6
19.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.97 $3.97
$2.4 ฿77.7
65.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.73 $5.73
$1.99 ฿64.3
187.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 $2.98
$1.53 ฿49.62
94.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.49 ฿48.11
64.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.82 $1.82
$1.02 ฿32.87
78.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$0.48 ฿15.61
341.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.83 $10.83
$4.32 ฿140
150.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.28 $15.28
$21.68 ฿702
-29.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.77 ฿57.3
42.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.34 $5.34
$2.79 ฿90.4
91.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.35 ฿43.74
54.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$81.5 $81.5
$11.76 ฿380
593.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 $3.15
$3.15 ฿102
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 $1.71
$1 ฿32.3
71.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.08 $29.08
$13.64 ฿442
113.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.3 ฿42.2
-4.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K $23.8K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-12.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-24.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 $190
$123 ฿3,970
54.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.4 $58.4
$13.93 ฿451
319.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67 $67
$18.24 ฿590
267.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$122 $122
$60.8 ฿1,966
101.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$44.73 $44.73
$17.11 ฿554
161.43%
Cinema Ticket
$18.03 $18.03
$9.07 ฿294
98.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,791 $1,791
$694 ฿22.5K
157.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K $14.7K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-7.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.8 $62.8
$57.5 ฿1,861
9.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.08 $34.08
$34.51 ฿1,117
-1.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 $102
$115 ฿3,727
-11.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 $153
$84.8 ฿2,743
80.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,279 $3,279
$611 ฿19.8K
436.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,892 $2,892
$442 ฿14.3K
553.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$6,850 $6,850
$2,014 ฿65.2K
240.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,897 $5,897
$1,460 ฿47.2K
304.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.8K $10.8K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
154.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,171 $8,171
$2,886 ฿93.4K
183.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Monica, CA
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,229 $7,229
$697 ฿22.5K
937.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.49
5.33
21.76%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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