Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Pola and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Pola and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,611 in Santa Pola versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Santa Pola versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,188 in Santa Pola versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Santa Pola is roughly 31% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Pola is 20% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.07 €12.87

$4.63 ฿151

225.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €49.10

$46.84 ฿1,523

22.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 €8.95

$8.84 ฿287

18.55%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.87

$3.00 ฿97.4

-27.00%

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

$2.46 €2.10

$0.74 ฿24.11

232.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.43

$0.37 ฿11.88

354.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 €3.02

$2.44 ฿79.3

44.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €2.95

$3.61 ฿117

-4.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.00

$2.26 ฿73.5

-48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.18

$1.84 ฿59.8

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.42

$2.24 ฿73.0

-25.89%

Eggs

$2.82 €2.41

$2.32 ฿75.3

21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 €11.55

$19.67 ฿639

-31.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 €7.01

$3.65 ฿119

124.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 €12.72

$13.10 ฿426

13.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 €2.08

$3.39 ฿110

-28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.43

$1.64 ฿53.4

1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.64

$2.41 ฿78.5

-20.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.26

$2.03 ฿66.0

30.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.47

$1.56 ฿50.6

10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.71

$1.50 ฿48.66

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.19

$1.02 ฿33.30

36.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.59

$0.49 ฿15.91

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 €5.24

$4.45 ฿145

37.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.77

$18.88 ฿614

-70.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.06

$1.78 ฿57.7

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.81

$2.75 ฿89.5

-22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.42

$1.40 ฿45.54

19.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.30 €29.29

$11.48 ฿373

198.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.42

$3.12 ฿101

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.03

$1.00 ฿32.48

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.91 €21.27

$14.09 ฿458

76.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.48

$1.35 ฿43.93

28.89%

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

$38.8K €33.2K

$27.2K ฿883.7K

42.81%

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

$30.5K €26.0K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-7.44%

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

$134 €114

$125 ฿4,063

7.14%

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

$21.19 €18.10

$13.57 ฿441

56.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.80 €27.16

$18.52 ฿602

71.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 €40.05

$61.5 ฿1,999

-23.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.97 €12.79

$16.84 ฿547

-11.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 €7.67

$9.19 ฿299

-2.29%

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

$400 €341

$698 ฿22.7K

-42.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,475 €6,384

$15.6K ฿506.9K

-52.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 €70.8

$57.8 ฿1,878

43.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.64 €30.44

$35.24 ฿1,146

1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €75.1

$113 ฿3,677

-22.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €94.4

$86.4 ฿2,808

28.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 €736

$616 ฿20.0K

39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 €597

$446 ฿14.5K

56.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 €1,148

$2,048 ฿66.6K

-34.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €856

$1,492 ฿48.5K

-32.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,478 €2,970

$3,779 ฿122.8K

-7.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,370 €2,024

$2,649 ฿86.1K

-10.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.33

-34.33%

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

Last update for Santa Pola: April 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $862 in Santa Pola and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Santa Pola vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $292, with Santa Pola cheaper for home cooking.

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 Pola vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,416 in Santa Pola and $1,847 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $862 in Santa Pola versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $400 in Santa Pola versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santa Pola pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Santa Pola, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Pola. 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 Pola, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Pola 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 31% less than in Santa Pola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.