Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,090 in Santorini versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,039 in Santorini versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,988 in Santorini versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Santorini is roughly 65% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santorini is 56% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 €17.23

$4.70 ฿154

325.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 €79.3

$45.37 ฿1,483

102.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.37 €14.09

$8.43 ฿276

94.19%

Cappuccino

$4.68 €4.03

$2.93 ฿95.7

59.73%

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

$3.85 €3.32

$0.69 ฿22.42

457.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$0.37 ฿12.00

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 €5.11

$2.41 ฿78.7

146.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 €6.36

$3.72 ฿122

98.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.23 ฿73.0

-7.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.23

$1.83 ฿59.9

-21.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 €2.95

$2.17 ฿70.9

58.06%

Eggs

$7.03 €6.06

$2.21 ฿72.4

218.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 €13.05

$19.74 ฿645

-23.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 €6.76

$3.63 ฿119

116.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 €13.91

$13.53 ฿442

19.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.47

$3.28 ฿107

-12.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €1.94

$1.61 ฿52.7

40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.49

$2.41 ฿78.7

-28.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.04

$2.08 ฿68.1

69.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.24

$1.53 ฿49.97

69.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.06

$1.48 ฿48.41

-16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 €0.83

$0.99 ฿32.32

-3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.54

$0.51 ฿16.68

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €5.94

$4.41 ฿144

56.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 €5.10

$19.38 ฿634

-69.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.75

$1.78 ฿58.1

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.44

$2.71 ฿88.7

4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 €2.36

$1.37 ฿44.83

99.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.89 €40.38

$11.39 ฿372

311.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €3.90

$3.02 ฿98.7

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.59 €11.70

$14.10 ฿461

-3.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €1.95

$1.36 ฿44.55

66.18%

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

$31.6K €27.2K

$28.2K ฿921.9K

12.04%

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

$26.3K €22.6K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-20.10%

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

$316 €272

$122 ฿3,978

159.24%

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

$46.74 €40.25

$13.57 ฿444

244.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.33 €30.43

$18.31 ฿599

92.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.9 €69.6

$60.2 ฿1,969

34.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.93 €22.33

$17.14 ฿560

51.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 €6.12

$8.69 ฿284

-18.18%

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

$608 €523

$693 ฿22.7K

-12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,892 €5,073

$15.7K ฿512.8K

-62.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €59.5

$59.5 ฿1,946

16.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 €44.59

$34.77 ฿1,137

48.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 €67.3

$115 ฿3,746

-31.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €101

$83.3 ฿2,723

40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 €428

$613 ฿20.0K

-19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 €689

$437 ฿14.3K

83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 €1,138

$2,094 ฿68.5K

-36.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 €928

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-28.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,197 €4,475

$3,749 ฿122.6K

38.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,457 €2,976

$2,616 ฿85.5K

32.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,232 €1,061

$508 ฿16.6K

142.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

5.33

-22.14%

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

Last update for Santorini: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $497 in Santorini and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santorini pays 143% 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: $92.0 in Santorini vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 65% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Santorini pays 143% more on average, 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: $497 in Santorini versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $608 in Santorini versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Santorini. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,090 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 65% less than in Santorini. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.