Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,712 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in Acosta versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Acosta $1,712
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in Acosta versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Acosta $2,673
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,633 in Acosta versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Acosta $3,633
Phuket $3,154

Living in Acosta is roughly 34% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Acosta is 26% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,531

$4.47 ฿151

174.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 ₡25.8K

$32.41 ฿1,094

76.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 ₡5,325

$8.81 ฿297

33.94%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₡1,875

$2.83 ฿95.5

47.00%

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

$2.64 ₡1,193

$0.87 ฿29.43

203.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡838

$0.49 ฿16.67

279.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,521

$2.56 ฿86.4

31.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ₡2,029

$3.68 ฿124

22.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.66 ฿56.0

44.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$1.46 ฿49.35

94.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.50 ฿50.6

78.67%

Eggs

$3.16 ₡1,428

$2.09 ฿70.5

51.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 ₡5,226

$19.07 ฿644

-39.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 ₡5,117

$3.30 ฿111

243.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 ₡6,677

$10.91 ฿368

35.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,107

$2.93 ฿99.0

59.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡790

$1.69 ฿57.1

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,701

$2.25 ฿75.8

67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,756

$2.08 ฿70.1

87.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,450

$1.51 ฿51.0

112.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.38 ฿46.56

94.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡474

$1.07 ฿35.99

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₡1,362

$0.52 ฿17.52

480.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.50 ₡2,484

$4.20 ฿142

30.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.96 ₡8,105

$18.79 ฿634

-4.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₡1,053

$1.82 ฿61.5

28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,264

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.45 ฿49.03

-11.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$3.02 ฿102

-17.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡618

$1.02 ฿34.36

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 ₡4,448

$3.69 ฿125

167.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.47 ฿49.81

10.20%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

39.49%

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

$42.0K ₡19.0M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

57.54%

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

$100 ₡45.2K

$96.4 ฿3,254

4.01%

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

$30.43 ₡13.7K

$11.26 ฿380

170.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ₡23.7K

$16.85 ฿569

212.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ₡26.5K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-12.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ₡3,374

$7.50 ฿253

-0.27%

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

$778 ₡350.9K

$476 ฿16.1K

63.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

52.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 ₡29.1K

$62.4 ฿2,106

3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 ₡28.7K

$28.41 ฿959

124.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 ₡61.1K

$94.3 ฿3,184

43.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ₡66.8K

$85.8 ฿2,898

72.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₡408.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

26.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

30.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 ₡975.1K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 ₡545.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-15.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ₡883.9K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-53.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 ₡667.4K

$502 ฿17.0K

194.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Acosta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$640 37.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23.3% $149

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$389 22.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31.5% $122

Eating Out

Acosta

$227 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$185 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$183 10.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$74 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 11.5% $8.5

Getting Around

Acosta

$14 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 388% $56

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 $905 in Acosta and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Acosta vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

03:23 3:23 AM

13 h ahead of Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acosta Phuket 18,030 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Acosta
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

Acosta vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,712 in Acosta and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Acosta is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $905 in Acosta versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,712 per month in Acosta versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,712 in Acosta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Acosta. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

Safety-wise, Acosta and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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