Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,784 in Santa Rita, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Rita

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,784

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Rita and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Rita and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Santa Rita versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Santa Rita $1,784
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,706 in Santa Rita versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Santa Rita $2,706
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,628 in Santa Rita versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Santa Rita $3,628
Phuket $2,845

Living in Santa Rita is roughly 48% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Rita is 32% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$4.40 ฿148

356.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$32.26 ฿1,089

133.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 $6.16

$8.76 ฿296

-29.68%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.83 ฿95.4

78.09%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$0.90 ฿30.43

175.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.47 ฿15.71

417.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.55 ฿86.0

209.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.83 ฿129

157.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.73 ฿58.2

122.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.47 ฿49.58

188.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.51 ฿51.1

74.17%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$2.17 ฿73.3

76.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$19.70 ฿665

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$3.34 ฿113

93.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$11.16 ฿377

-11.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.85 ฿96.0

67.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.70 ฿57.5

58.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.05 ฿69.0

119.51%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.45 ฿49.03

181.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.38 ฿46.60

100.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.07 ฿36.04

86.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.78 ฿60.2

55.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.85 ฿96.1

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.63 $32.63

$3.86 ฿130

745.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.45 ฿48.91

-4.14%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

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

$251 $251

$96.4 ฿3,252

160.34%

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

$89.9 $89.9

$11.04 ฿372

714.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$17.14 ฿578

357.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$52.2 ฿1,760

93.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

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

$556 ฿18.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 $900

$737 ฿24.9K

22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 $612

$462 ฿15.6K

32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 $1,982

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-5.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$1,201 ฿40.5K

-8.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$303 $303

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-88.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,588 $5,588

$501 ฿16.9K

1016.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$121 10%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Santa Rita and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rita pays 1016% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Santa Rita vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇺 Santa Rita

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

3 h behind Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Rita Phuket 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Rita
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Rita vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1016% higher in Santa Rita, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Santa Rita versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Santa Rita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $75.0 in Santa Rita. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,784 in Santa Rita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Rita. 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 Rita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Rita 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 48% less than in Santa Rita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.