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 102.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 262.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 100.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 183.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$4.59 ฿147

444.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$46.83 ฿1,497

117.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 $12.56

$8.70 ฿278

44.37%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$2.92 ฿93.5

97.26%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$0.68 ฿21.86

335.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.40 ฿12.66

472.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 $8.33

$2.51 ฿80.2

231.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.43 $9.43

$3.80 ฿122

148.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.16 ฿69.1

-44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.88 ฿60.1

137.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.16 ฿69.0

105.09%

Eggs

$6.85 $6.85

$2.22 ฿71.0

208.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$19.57 ฿626

-34.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$3.80 ฿122

264.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 $14.56

$13.41 ฿429

8.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.26 ฿104

65.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.61 ฿51.5

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.31 ฿73.8

79.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.06 ฿65.8

173.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.61 ฿51.3

88.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.44 ฿46.13

71.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.03 ฿32.91

77.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.48 ฿15.34

345.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 $11.04

$4.50 ฿144

145.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$19.18 ฿613

-22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.82 ฿58.3

39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.69 ฿86.0

91.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.38 ฿44.04

49.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 $79.5

$11.76 ฿376

576.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.11 ฿99.3

0.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.00 ฿32.09

66.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.09 $29.09

$13.74 ฿439

111.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.30 ฿41.49

-4.62%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$27.4K ฿874.5K

-11.57%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-21.90%

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

$189 $189

$125 ฿3,993

51.65%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$13.74 ฿439

323.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$18.61 ฿595

254.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$60.6 ฿1,936

96.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.85 $45.85

$17.15 ฿548

167.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 $17.73

$9.01 ฿288

96.78%

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

$1,786 $1,786

$698 ฿22.3K

155.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K $15.3K

$16.1K ฿515.1K

-5.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$59.2 ฿1,893

6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$34.86 ฿1,115

-1.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$114 ฿3,651

-11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$85.8 ฿2,743

75.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,263 $3,263

$619 ฿19.8K

427.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 $2,904

$437 ฿14.0K

564.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,827 $6,827

$2,075 ฿66.3K

229.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,956 $5,956

$1,509 ฿48.2K

294.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$3,764 ฿120.3K

183.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,974 $7,974

$2,694 ฿86.1K

196.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,856 $6,856

$528 ฿16.9K

1197.32%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

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 Monica, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands