Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $723 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Santo Domingo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Santo Domingo $723
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,190 in Santo Domingo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Santo Domingo $1,190
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,657 in Santo Domingo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Santo Domingo $1,657
Phuket $3,154

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 $3.96

$4.47 ฿151

-11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.5 $51.5

$32.41 ฿1,092

58.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$8.81 ฿297

3.86%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$2.83 ฿95.3

-30.04%

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

$0.88 $0.88

$0.87 ฿29.37

1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.49 ฿16.64

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.56 ฿86.2

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.68 ฿124

13.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.66 ฿55.9

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.46 ฿49.25

32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.50 ฿50.4

-12.67%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$2.09 ฿70.4

-3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$19.07 ฿642

-77.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.30 ฿111

-9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$10.91 ฿368

-67.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.93 ฿98.7

-48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.69 ฿56.9

-42.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.25 ฿75.7

-55.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.08 ฿70.0

-55.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 ฿50.9

-35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.38 ฿46.47

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.07 ฿35.91

-23.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.52 ฿17.49

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.20 ฿142

39.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 $5.04

$18.79 ฿633

-73.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.82 ฿61.4

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.84 ฿95.7

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.45 ฿48.93

-77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.02 ฿102

-6.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.02 ฿34.29

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 $12.11

$3.69 ฿124

228.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.47 ฿49.70

-38.78%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-13.81%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

14.30%

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

$34.76 $34.76

$96.4 ฿3,247

-63.92%

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

$9.83 $9.83

$11.26 ฿380

-12.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.21 $23.21

$16.85 ฿568

37.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 $32.57

$67.2 ฿2,266

-51.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 $17.80

$10.73 ฿361

65.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 $7.55

$7.50 ฿253

0.67%

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

$379 $379

$476 ฿16.0K

-20.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,642 $5,642

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-49.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.97 $19.97

$62.4 ฿2,102

-67.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.92 $29.92

$28.41 ฿957

5.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 $50.4

$94.3 ฿3,178

-46.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.26 $49.26

$85.8 ฿2,892

-42.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$716 ฿24.1K

-41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$491 ฿16.5K

-44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-56.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-65.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

234.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$401 $401

$502 ฿16.9K

-20.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

5.57

80.43%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: 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

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 78.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 83.3% $121

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 83.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 81.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 72.5% $35

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 437% $57

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 $422 in Santo Domingo and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 25% 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: $51 in Santo Domingo vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $145 vs $266, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

07:13 7:13 AM

12 h ahead of Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Phuket 19,120 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Santo Domingo. 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: $422 in Santo Domingo versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $379 in Santo Domingo versus $476 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 versus $51 in Santo Domingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $723 in Santo Domingo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santo Domingo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.