Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa, Philippines and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
Learn more

Santa Rosa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Rosa 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 Rosa and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $614 in Santa Rosa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santa Rosa $614
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $873 in Santa Rosa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santa Rosa $873
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,131 in Santa Rosa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santa Rosa $1,131
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santa Rosa costs roughly 52% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Rosa 55% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 ₱158

$4.47 ฿151

-44.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.32 ₱1,042

$32.41 ฿1,094

-49.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱176

$8.81 ฿297

-68.67%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ₱71.3

$2.83 ฿95.5

-60.42%

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

$0.36 ₱22.76

$0.87 ฿29.43

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₱13.96

$0.49 ฿16.67

-55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.8

$2.56 ฿86.4

-60.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.7

$3.68 ฿124

-65.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.66 ฿56.0

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.6

$1.46 ฿49.35

-21.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.6

$1.50 ฿50.6

-34.00%

Eggs

$1.53 ₱97.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

-26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.10 ₱326

$19.07 ฿644

-73.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ₱219

$3.30 ฿111

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 ₱495

$10.91 ฿368

-28.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱139

$2.93 ฿99.0

-25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 ₱51.2

$1.69 ฿57.1

-52.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 ₱64.0

$2.08 ฿70.1

-51.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱111

$1.38 ฿46.56

25.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.97

$1.07 ฿35.99

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.37

$0.52 ฿17.52

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ₱179

$4.20 ฿142

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 ₱559

$18.79 ฿634

-53.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱61.0

$1.82 ฿61.5

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱129

$2.84 ฿95.9

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.28

$1.45 ฿49.03

-85.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.39 ₱856

$56.7 ฿1,913

-76.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$3.02 ฿102

-73.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.36

$1.02 ฿34.36

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱123

$3.69 ฿125

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱65.2

$1.47 ฿49.81

-30.61%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-20.72%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-28.23%

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

$62.5 ₱3,990

$96.4 ฿3,254

-35.18%

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

$6.40 ₱409

$11.26 ฿380

-43.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 ₱1,496

$16.85 ฿569

38.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.17 ₱1,991

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.99 ₱382

$10.73 ฿362

-44.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 ₱330

$7.50 ฿253

-31.20%

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

$132 ₱8,404

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,549 ₱354.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-50.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.17 ₱1,800

$62.4 ฿2,106

-54.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.31 ₱1,234

$28.41 ฿959

-32.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,569

$94.3 ฿3,184

-24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 ₱3,517

$85.8 ฿2,898

-35.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 ₱16.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ₱10.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-65.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₱31.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-74.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-88.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,457 ₱157.0K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-41.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,162 ₱74.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-61.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$140 ₱8,933

$502 ฿17.0K

-72.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Santa Rosa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 192% $323

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 60.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa

$92 15%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.6% $44

Eating Out

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 138% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 98.2% $41

Getting Around

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 335% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $255 in Santa Rosa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Santa Rosa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $266 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

1 h behind Santa Rosa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,812

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Rosa Phuket 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Rosa
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 Rosa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Santa Rosa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $255 in Santa Rosa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $132 in Santa Rosa versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $614 in Santa Rosa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Rosa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Rosa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Santa Rosa and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Santa Rosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.