Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,113 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
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Santorini Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,113

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,113 in Santorini versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santorini $2,113
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,080 in Santorini versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santorini $3,080
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,046 in Santorini versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santorini $4,046
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santorini is roughly 75% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santorini is 57% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.66 €23.72

$4.58 ฿153

482.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$32.48 ฿1,086

169.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 €13.84

$8.55 ฿286

81.99%

Cappuccino

$4.64 €4.13

$2.72 ฿91.0

70.59%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$0.94 ฿31.25

294.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.49 ฿16.39

171.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$2.59 ฿86.6

117.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$3.83 ฿128

87.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.74 ฿58.1

14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.43 ฿47.82

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$1.53 ฿51.0

120.92%

Eggs

$6.54 €5.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

201.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$19.15 ฿640

-25.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 €6.86

$3.30 ฿110

133.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 €16.07

$11.14 ฿372

62.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.95 ฿98.5

-6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.68 ฿56.1

32.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.30 ฿76.8

-29.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.13 ฿71.3

59.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.53 ฿51.1

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.12 ฿37.44

-9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$0.55 ฿18.24

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$4.26 ฿142

53.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.05

$18.19 ฿608

-68.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.74 ฿58.2

12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.79 ฿93.3

-2.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.22 ฿74.1

22.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €26.03

$22.06 ฿737

32.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.91 ฿97.3

-24.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.01 ฿33.79

104.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 €12.66

$3.83 ฿128

271.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.49 ฿49.85

52.35%

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

$44.6K €39.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

67.34%

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

$45.7K €40.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

70.95%

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

$305 €271

$99.4 ฿3,321

206.83%

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

$43.85 €39.00

$11.28 ฿377

288.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 €30.18

$17.36 ฿580

95.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 €70.2

$52.3 ฿1,747

50.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 €22.41

$10.85 ฿362

132.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 €5.86

$7.57 ฿253

-12.95%

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

$601 €535

$558 ฿18.7K

7.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 €59.9

$62.9 ฿2,102

7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 €44.54

$28.58 ฿955

75.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 €66.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

-21.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$88.1 ฿2,943

27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,411

$729 ฿24.4K

117.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 €674

$460 ฿15.4K

64.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 €1,155

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-38.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €920

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-15.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,070 €4,510

$3,459 ฿115.6K

46.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,313 €2,947

$2,489 ฿83.2K

33.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,181 €1,050

$493 ฿16.5K

139.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

5.57

-25.49%

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

Last update for Santorini: 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

Santorini

$758 35.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 39.3% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santorini

$383 18.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 66.5% $255

Eating Out

Santorini

$378 17.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 67.9% $257

Groceries & Markets

Santorini

$312 14.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 14.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Santorini

$137 6.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Santorini

$92 4.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 26.8% $25

Getting Around

Santorini

$53 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 26.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,587 in Santorini and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santorini pays 140% 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: $88.0 in Santorini vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Santorini

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

4 h ahead of Santorini

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,233

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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Santorini Phuket 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Santorini vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 140% higher in Santorini, 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: $1,587 in Santorini versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $601 in Santorini versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Santorini. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,113 in Santorini, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santorini. 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 Santorini, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santorini 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 75% less than in Santorini. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.