Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de los Caballeros and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de los Caballeros: $916 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de los Caballeros
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Santiago de los Caballeros Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santiago de los Caballeros

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$916

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santiago de los Caballeros $916
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santiago de los Caballeros $1,412
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,909 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santiago de los Caballeros $1,909
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santiago de los Caballeros costs roughly 28% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago de los Caballeros 33% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 DOP 509

$4.47 ฿151

86.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.50 DOP 2,480

$32.41 ฿1,094

24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 DOP 418

$8.81 ฿297

-22.59%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$2.83 ฿95.5

-36.04%

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

$0.66 DOP 40.21

$0.87 ฿29.43

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 DOP 22.91

$0.49 ฿16.67

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 152

$2.56 ฿86.4

-2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 DOP 196

$3.68 ฿124

-13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 DOP 70.3

$1.66 ฿56.0

-30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 DOP 96.2

$1.46 ฿49.35

7.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 DOP 91.6

$1.50 ฿50.6

Eggs

$1.50 DOP 91.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

-28.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.07 DOP 372

$19.07 ฿644

-68.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 DOP 223

$3.30 ฿111

10.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.73 DOP 290

$10.91 ฿368

-56.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 DOP 196

$2.93 ฿99.0

9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 DOP 49.85

$1.69 ฿57.1

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DOP 161

$2.25 ฿75.8

16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 DOP 109

$2.08 ฿70.1

-13.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 118

$1.51 ฿51.0

27.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 DOP 130

$1.38 ฿46.56

53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 DOP 52.7

$1.07 ฿35.99

-19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 DOP 57.3

$0.52 ฿17.52

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 DOP 287

$4.20 ฿142

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 621

$18.79 ฿634

-46.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 155

$1.82 ฿61.5

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 DOP 182

$2.84 ฿95.9

4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 DOP 33.82

$1.45 ฿49.03

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.45 DOP 1,804

$56.7 ฿1,913

-48.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 DOP 151

$3.02 ฿102

-18.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 138

$1.02 ฿34.36

120.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 DOP 359

$3.69 ฿125

58.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 DOP 87.5

$1.47 ฿49.81

-2.72%

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

$14.6K DOP 894.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-45.48%

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

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.77%

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

$91.8 DOP 5,620

$96.4 ฿3,254

-4.76%

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

$26.28 DOP 1,609

$11.26 ฿380

133.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.26 DOP 2,159

$16.85 ฿569

109.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.76 DOP 1,516

$67.2 ฿2,270

-63.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 DOP 302

$7.50 ฿253

-34.27%

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

$145 DOP 8,890

$476 ฿16.1K

-69.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,296 DOP 324.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-52.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.50 DOP 1,623

$62.4 ฿2,106

-57.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 DOP 2,805

$28.41 ฿959

61.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 DOP 3,775

$94.3 ฿3,184

-34.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 DOP 4,084

$85.8 ฿2,898

-22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 DOP 41.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 DOP 16.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 DOP 92.7K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-21.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 DOP 28.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$926 DOP 56.7K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-77.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$908 DOP 55.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-70.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$536 DOP 32.9K

$502 ฿17.0K

6.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Santiago de los Caballeros: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de los Caballeros

$267 29.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 84.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de los Caballeros

$194 21.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de los Caballeros

$153 16.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.8% $29

Eating Out

Santiago de los Caballeros

$132 14.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de los Caballeros

$90 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35% $32

Getting Around

Santiago de los Caballeros

$45 5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 55.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de los Caballeros

$35 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 138% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Santiago de los Caballeros and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de los Caballeros pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Santiago de los Caballeros vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $194 vs $266, with Santiago de los Caballeros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santiago de los Caballeros

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

11 h ahead of Santiago de los Caballeros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,836,778

79,308

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 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 DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santiago de los Caballeros Phuket 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de los Caballeros
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

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

Santiago de los Caballeros is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Santiago de los Caballeros, 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: $674 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $145 in Santiago de los Caballeros 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 38% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.