Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Cartago is 45% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cartago is 8.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 16.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.12 ₡3,832
$4.65 ฿146
74.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.23 ₡15.2K
$46.11 ฿1,450
-30.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 ₡4,303
$8.74 ฿275
4.23%
Cappuccino
$3.82 ₡1,803
$3.04 ฿95.5
25.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₡960
$0.72 ฿22.65
181.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 ₡584
$0.39 ฿12.30
217.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.00 ₡945
$2.44 ฿76.7
-18.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 ₡2,166
$3.79 ฿119
21.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡973
$2.14 ฿67.4
-3.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 ₡1,015
$1.86 ฿58.5
15.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₡1,065
$2.19 ฿68.8
2.74%
Eggs
$2.94 ₡1,389
$2.25 ฿70.6
30.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.15 ₡3,847
$19.73 ฿620
-58.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.98 ₡4,240
$3.79 ฿119
136.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.47 ₡6,363
$13.55 ฿426
-0.59%
Apples (1kg)
$4.42 ₡2,088
$3.25 ฿102
36.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 ₡572
$1.67 ฿52.6
-27.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 ₡1,928
$2.39 ฿75.2
70.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.61 ₡1,233
$2.09 ฿65.8
24.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 ₡914
$1.53 ฿48.07
26.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.95 ₡921
$1.51 ฿47.47
29.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 ₡453
$0.99 ฿31.09
-3.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₡957
$0.51 ฿16.19
298.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.41 ₡2,554
$4.27 ฿134
26.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.90 ₡7,035
$20.31 ฿638
-26.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 ₡1,172
$1.79 ฿56.3
38.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 ₡851
$2.77 ฿87.0
-35.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 ₡496
$1.40 ฿44.15
-25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.6 ₡32.9K
$11.70 ฿368
494.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ₡648
$3.11 ฿97.8
-55.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 ₡849
$0.99 ฿31.27
81.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.06 ₡3,808
$13.73 ฿432
-41.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₡694
$1.32 ฿41.47
11.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K ₡18.0M
$27.2K ฿856.3K
40.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K ₡15.3M
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-5.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$49.17 ₡23.2K
$120 ฿3,785
-59.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.22 ₡12.4K
$13.93 ฿438
88.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.7 ₡27.3K
$18.31 ฿576
215.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.9 ₡26.9K
$60.9 ฿1,916
-6.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.07 ₡11.4K
$17.23 ฿542
39.70%
Cinema Ticket
$6.58 ₡3,107
$8.71 ฿274
-24.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$488 ₡230.4K
$698 ฿21.9K
-30.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,079 ₡3.3M
$15.7K ฿494.7K
-55.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.9 ₡29.2K
$57.6 ฿1,812
7.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.1 ₡24.6K
$34.24 ฿1,077
52.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 ₡51.1K
$113 ฿3,558
-4.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 ₡37.1K
$84.8 ฿2,666
-7.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ₡360.3K
$604 ฿19.0K
26.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 ₡278.3K
$436 ฿13.7K
35.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$728 ₡343.8K
$2,057 ฿64.7K
-64.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$776 ₡366.2K
$1,498 ฿47.1K
-48.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,252 ฿133.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ฿93.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartago
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,269 ₡599.4K
$529 ฿16.6K
139.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
5.33
87.62%

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

Last update for Cartago: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 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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