Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,091 in Santos versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in Santos versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,238 in Santos versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Santos costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santos 21% lower, Phuket 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 R$40.10

$4.56 ฿150

71.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.45 R$156

$32.62 ฿1,072

-6.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 R$34.11

$8.90 ฿293

-25.17%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R$13.49

$2.80 ฿92.2

-6.07%

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

$1.37 R$7.03

$0.88 ฿28.93

55.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.84

$0.49 ฿16.08

91.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 R$12.96

$2.39 ฿78.5

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$14.75

$3.71 ฿122

-22.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.27

$1.79 ฿58.7

-42.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 R$9.04

$1.44 ฿47.38

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.73

$1.58 ฿52.1

-17.09%

Eggs

$2.42 R$12.42

$2.13 ฿69.9

13.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 R$58.6

$19.92 ฿655

-42.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.47

$3.43 ฿113

33.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 R$49.14

$11.33 ฿372

-15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R$10.60

$2.95 ฿96.9

-29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.46

$1.72 ฿56.6

-26.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.07

$2.32 ฿76.4

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.10

$2.08 ฿68.4

-14.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.47

$1.47 ฿48.33

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.64

$1.36 ฿44.64

-4.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R$5.98

$1.10 ฿36.12

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.72

$0.57 ฿18.89

61.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.17

$4.27 ฿140

-44.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 R$40.20

$18.42 ฿605

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R$6.94

$1.87 ฿61.5

-27.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R$9.78

$2.92 ฿96.0

-34.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.29

$2.22 ฿72.9

-53.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.31 R$242

$22.90 ฿753

106.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 R$7.43

$3.03 ฿99.6

-52.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 R$7.76

$1.07 ฿35.31

42.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.13 R$87.8

$3.93 ฿129

335.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.08

$1.49 ฿49.04

-20.13%

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

$23.1K R$118.3K

$27.1K ฿891.7K

-14.91%

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

$32.1K R$164.6K

$27.5K ฿902.3K

17.06%

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

$101 R$517

$103 ฿3,379

-1.84%

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

$11.63 R$59.6

$10.99 ฿361

5.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 R$109

$17.51 ฿576

21.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.94 R$143

$53.5 ฿1,760

-47.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.0 R$277

$11.20 ฿368

381.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.79 R$45.02

$7.48 ฿246

17.51%

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

$274 R$1,405

$557 ฿18.3K

-50.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,873 R$50.6K

$11.9K ฿389.6K

-16.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R$275

$64.1 ฿2,106

-16.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 R$189

$29.07 ฿956

26.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 R$480

$96.0 ฿3,154

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 R$298

$90.3 ฿2,970

-35.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 R$2,706

$730 ฿24.0K

-27.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 R$2,091

$500 ฿16.4K

-18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 R$4,864

$2,090 ฿68.7K

-54.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 R$3,437

$1,209 ฿39.7K

-44.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,408 R$12.3K

$3,596 ฿118.2K

-33.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,724 R$8,833

$2,512 ฿82.6K

-31.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$569 R$2,914

$503 ฿16.5K

12.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

5.57

129.62%

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

Last update for Santos: September 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Santos and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santos pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Santos vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $273 per month, with Santos 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

Santos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Santos, 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: $528 in Santos versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $274 in Santos versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,091 in Santos versus $1,253 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Santos 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, Santos 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 Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.