Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santiago de Compostela $1,439
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santiago de Compostela $2,215
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santiago de Compostela $2,991
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santiago de Compostela is roughly 19% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago de Compostela is 7% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.76

$4.58 ฿153

188.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

104.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 €8.19

$8.55 ฿286

7.72%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.72 ฿91.0

-28.31%

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

$2.69 €2.39

$0.94 ฿31.25

186.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.49 ฿16.39

342.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.59 ฿86.6

19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.83 ฿128

1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.74 ฿58.1

-31.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.43 ฿47.82

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.53 ฿51.0

-13.73%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$2.17 ฿72.7

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$19.15 ฿640

-53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.93

$3.30 ฿110

102.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 €15.12

$11.14 ฿372

52.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.95 ฿98.5

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.68 ฿56.1

24.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.30 ฿76.8

-35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.13 ฿71.3

34.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.53 ฿51.1

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.36 ฿45.55

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.12 ฿37.44

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.55 ฿18.24

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.26 ฿142

40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.55

$18.19 ฿608

-71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.74 ฿58.2

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.79 ฿93.3

-15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.22 ฿74.1

-46.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.89 €29.26

$22.06 ฿737

49.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.33

$2.91 ฿97.3

67.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.01 ฿33.79

29.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.75

$3.83 ฿128

391.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.49 ฿49.85

13.42%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

32.67%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

7.97%

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

$155 €138

$99.4 ฿3,321

56.14%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$11.28 ฿377

92.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 €29.04

$17.36 ฿580

88.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.56

$52.3 ฿1,747

-2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

$10.85 ฿362

-79.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$7.57 ฿253

33.55%

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

$331 €294

$558 ฿18.7K

-40.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,249 €7,337

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-28.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

39.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 €55.9

$28.58 ฿955

119.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$96.1 ฿3,213

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 €82.1

$88.1 ฿2,943

4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$729 ฿24.4K

-2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$460 ฿15.4K

12.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-28.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 €2,670

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-13.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,863

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-15.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,663

$493 ฿16.5K

279.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

5.57

-46.86%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 10.8% $56

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 11.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 38.9% $82

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 39.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 5.6% $4

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 20.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $712 in Santiago de Compostela and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 279% 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: $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $240 vs $268, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

5 h ahead of Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santiago de Compostela Phuket 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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

Santiago de Compostela vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 279% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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: $712 in Santiago de Compostela versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $331 in Santiago de Compostela versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Santiago de Compostela pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santiago de Compostela. 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 Santiago de Compostela, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santiago de Compostela 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 19% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.