Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Santo Domingo versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,824 in Santo Domingo versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,552 in Santo Domingo versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 18% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 DOP 504

$4.55 ฿153

90.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 DOP 2,961

$46.18 ฿1,550

10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 DOP 421

$8.84 ฿297

-18.21%

Cappuccino

$2.63 DOP 153

$3.06 ฿103

-14.05%

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

$0.99 DOP 57.4

$0.73 ฿24.36

35.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 DOP 48.02

$0.40 ฿13.37

105.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 DOP 150

$2.43 ฿81.6

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 DOP 291

$3.78 ฿127

32.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 78.0

$2.26 ฿75.8

-40.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 DOP 99.6

$1.81 ฿60.8

-5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 DOP 87.4

$2.25 ฿75.7

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.27 DOP 132

$2.25 ฿75.4

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 DOP 418

$19.51 ฿655

-63.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 DOP 366

$3.65 ฿122

72.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 DOP 652

$13.05 ฿438

-14.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 DOP 187

$3.23 ฿109

-0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 DOP 49.84

$1.62 ฿54.3

-46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 DOP 168

$2.38 ฿80.0

21.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 112

$2.03 ฿68.0

-4.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 DOP 147

$1.53 ฿51.5

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 DOP 138

$1.50 ฿50.4

57.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 DOP 63.5

$0.98 ฿32.85

11.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 DOP 52.3

$0.52 ฿17.36

73.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 DOP 337

$4.44 ฿149

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 DOP 623

$18.32 ฿615

-41.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 DOP 153

$1.86 ฿62.6

41.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 DOP 186

$2.68 ฿90.0

19.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 DOP 33.26

$1.41 ฿47.37

-59.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 DOP 4,000

$11.70 ฿393

486.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 DOP 196

$3.11 ฿104

8.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 DOP 128

$1.04 ฿35.00

110.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 DOP 348

$14.11 ฿474

-57.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 DOP 77.2

$1.31 ฿44.02

1.53%

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

$26.1K DOP 1.5M

$27.8K ฿933.8K

-6.05%

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

$32.3K DOP 1.9M

$33.2K ฿1.1M

-2.64%

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

$75.6 DOP 4,403

$122 ฿4,110

-38.26%

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

$25.29 DOP 1,473

$13.59 ฿456

86.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.48 DOP 2,066

$18.70 ฿628

89.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 DOP 2,123

$60.5 ฿2,031

-39.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.32 DOP 834

$16.98 ฿570

-15.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 DOP 394

$9.07 ฿305

-25.47%

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

$263 DOP 15.3K

$706 ฿23.7K

-62.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,020 DOP 467.1K

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-49.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 DOP 3,513

$58.6 ฿1,965

3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 DOP 3,027

$35.36 ฿1,187

46.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 DOP 5,641

$115 ฿3,876

-16.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 DOP 6,656

$83.7 ฿2,811

36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 DOP 32.9K

$626 ฿21.0K

-9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 DOP 16.6K

$445 ฿14.9K

-35.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 DOP 68.4K

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-42.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 DOP 39.9K

$1,492 ฿50.1K

-54.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 DOP 126.2K

$3,483 ฿116.9K

-37.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 DOP 68.7K

$2,577 ฿86.5K

-54.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$621 DOP 36.2K

$500 ฿16.8K

24.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.9

5.33

142.03%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $564 in Santo Domingo and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Domingo pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Santo Domingo vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $289, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Santo Domingo, 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: $564 in Santo Domingo versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Santo Domingo versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,096 in Santo Domingo versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Santo Domingo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.