Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Tecla and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santa Tecla $1,355
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Santa Tecla versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santa Tecla $2,006
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Santa Tecla versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santa Tecla $2,657
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santa Tecla is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Tecla is 0% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

$4.58 ฿153

43.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 $44.20

$32.48 ฿1,086

36.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 $6.82

$8.55 ฿286

-20.23%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$2.72 ฿91.0

28.68%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$0.94 ฿31.25

22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.49 ฿16.39

75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.59 ฿86.6

-23.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.83 ฿128

-5.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.74 ฿58.1

0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.43 ฿47.82

49.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.53 ฿51.0

-6.54%

Eggs

$2.30 $2.30

$2.17 ฿72.7

5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$19.15 ฿640

-60.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$3.30 ฿110

68.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$11.14 ฿372

-8.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.95 ฿98.5

10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.68 ฿56.1

-18.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.30 ฿76.8

14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.13 ฿71.3

66.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.53 ฿51.1

94.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.36 ฿45.55

146.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.12 ฿37.44

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.55 ฿18.24

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.26 ฿142

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 $12.06

$18.19 ฿608

-33.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.74 ฿58.2

26.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.79 ฿93.3

5.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.91 ฿97.3

111.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.01 ฿33.79

202.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 $20.27

$3.83 ฿128

429.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.49 ฿49.85

-16.78%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-4.67%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

1.00%

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

$132 $132

$99.4 ฿3,321

32.69%

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

$20.92 $20.92

$11.28 ฿377

85.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 $42.31

$17.36 ฿580

143.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.72 $24.72

$52.3 ฿1,747

-52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$7.57 ฿253

-33.55%

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

$160 $160

$558 ฿18.7K

-71.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,809 $4,809

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-58.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 $46.85

$28.58 ฿955

63.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$96.1 ฿3,213

20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.1 ฿2,943

30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

$729 ฿24.4K

4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$460 ฿15.4K

19.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-27.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$493 ฿16.5K

-17.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 16.1% $88

Groceries & Markets

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 2.9% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 34.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.1% $31

Eating Out

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 93.9% $33

Getting Around

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 81.1% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $765 in Santa Tecla and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Santa Tecla vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $268, with Santa Tecla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

16:29 4:29 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Tecla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,695

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Santa Tecla Phuket 17,470 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Phuket. 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: $765 in Santa Tecla versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $160 in Santa Tecla versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Tecla. 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 Tecla, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Tecla 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 12% less than in Santa Tecla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.