Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 38.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 28.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 34.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 3.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 ₡5,483

$4.51 ฿142

145.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 ₡29.6K

$46.08 ฿1,449

29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,812

$8.78 ฿276

10.59%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ₡1,868

$3.09 ฿97.0

22.01%

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

$2.03 ₡1,008

$0.70 ฿21.97

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₡788

$0.40 ฿12.46

297.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 ₡1,453

$2.40 ฿75.5

22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₡2,278

$3.68 ฿116

24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₡989

$2.25 ฿70.6

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,437

$1.87 ฿58.8

55.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡1,057

$2.22 ฿69.8

-4.05%

Eggs

$2.90 ₡1,436

$2.23 ฿70.1

30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 ₡4,967

$19.68 ฿619

-49.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 ₡4,549

$3.66 ฿115

150.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 ₡6,746

$13.09 ฿411

3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 ₡2,213

$3.38 ฿106

31.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡713

$1.69 ฿53.3

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 ₡2,063

$2.33 ฿73.2

78.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,785

$1.98 ฿62.4

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ₡1,690

$1.55 ฿48.77

120.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,582

$1.51 ฿47.42

111.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡511

$0.98 ฿30.84

5.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,414

$0.48 ฿15.01

493.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 ₡2,675

$4.35 ฿137

23.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.89 ₡8,871

$20.65 ฿649

-13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₡1,188

$1.77 ฿55.8

35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,430

$2.75 ฿86.6

4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡476

$1.37 ฿43.19

-29.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿357

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₡932

$3.11 ฿97.8

-39.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡881

$1.05 ฿32.96

69.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 ₡3,965

$13.72 ฿431

-41.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡698

$1.34 ฿42.16

5.22%

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

$38.1K ₡18.9M

$27.7K ฿869.6K

37.78%

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

$32.2K ₡16.0M

$33.6K ฿1.1M

-4.22%

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

$95.5 ₡47.3K

$122 ฿3,835

-21.75%

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

$26.38 ₡13.1K

$13.61 ฿428

93.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡29.2K

$18.49 ฿581

218.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 ₡28.7K

$61.7 ฿1,939

-6.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.25 ₡12.0K

$16.70 ฿525

45.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.80 ₡4,856

$9.09 ฿286

7.81%

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

$568 ₡281.8K

$702 ฿22.1K

-19.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.3M

$16.0K ฿502.8K

-20.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 ₡31.0K

$58.9 ฿1,851

6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 ₡25.8K

$34.41 ฿1,082

51.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡62.1K

$113 ฿3,545

11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡53.2K

$84.7 ฿2,662

26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡377.0K

$606 ฿19.1K

25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 ₡301.5K

$435 ฿13.7K

39.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 ₡747.0K

$2,069 ฿65.0K

-27.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 ₡483.8K

$1,473 ฿46.3K

-33.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 ฿139.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 ฿17.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

5.33

90.81%

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

Last update for Arenal: January 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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