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 84.6% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 261.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 116.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 191.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.74 $24.74

$4.65 ฿147

432.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$46.11 ฿1,460

115.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.33 $12.33

$8.74 ฿277

41.08%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.04 ฿96.2

88.49%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$0.72 ฿22.80

295.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.39 ฿12.38

471.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.60 $8.60

$2.44 ฿77.2

252.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.75 $9.75

$3.79 ฿120

157.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.14 ฿67.9

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.86 ฿58.9

138.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.19 ฿69.2

102.28%

Eggs

$7.15 $7.15

$2.25 ฿71.1

217.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$19.73 ฿625

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 $13.93

$3.79 ฿120

267.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 $14.45

$13.55 ฿429

6.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.25 ฿103

65.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.67 ฿52.9

11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.39 ฿75.7

68.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.09 ฿66.2

164.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.53 ฿48.39

101.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.51 ฿47.79

65.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.99 ฿31.30

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.51 ฿16.30

317.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$4.27 ฿135

160.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$20.31 ฿643

-25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.79 ฿56.7

42.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.77 ฿87.6

88.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.40 ฿44.44

55.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 $79.4

$11.70 ฿370

578.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.11 ฿98.4

1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.99 ฿31.48

65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.08 $29.08

$13.73 ฿435

111.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.32 ฿41.75

-6.06%

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

$24.0K $24.0K

$27.2K ฿862.0K

-11.70%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-25.55%

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

$190 $190

$120 ฿3,811

57.89%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.93 ฿441

326.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$18.31 ฿579

267.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$60.9 ฿1,928

99.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 $45.51

$17.23 ฿545

164.13%

Cinema Ticket

$18.27 $18.27

$8.71 ฿276

109.76%

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

$1,795 $1,795

$698 ฿22.1K

157.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K $15.3K

$15.7K ฿498.0K

-3.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$57.6 ฿1,824

5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 $34.85

$34.24 ฿1,084

1.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$113 ฿3,582

-10.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$84.8 ฿2,684

78.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,224 $3,224

$604 ฿19.1K

433.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,919 $2,919

$436 ฿13.8K

569.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,889 $6,889

$2,057 ฿65.1K

234.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,980 $5,980

$1,498 ฿47.4K

299.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K $10.8K

$4,252 ฿134.6K

154.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,955 $7,955

$2,988 ฿94.6K

166.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,908 $6,908

$529 ฿16.7K

1205.26%

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: March 1, 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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