Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cartago $1,733
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cartago $2,363
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cartago $2,993
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cartago is roughly 36% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartago is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$4.47 ฿151

92.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$32.41 ฿1,093

9.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$8.81 ฿297

10.67%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$2.83 ฿95.4

60.78%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$0.87 ฿29.41

157.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$0.49 ฿16.65

179.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$2.56 ฿86.3

-16.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$3.68 ฿124

14.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.66 ฿55.9

43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$1.46 ฿49.31

69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.50 ฿50.5

61.33%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$2.09 ฿70.5

71.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$19.07 ฿643

-54.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$3.30 ฿111

221.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$10.91 ฿368

27.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$2.93 ฿98.9

72.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.69 ฿57.0

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$2.25 ฿75.8

94.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$2.08 ฿70.0

43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$1.51 ฿51.0

43.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$1.38 ฿46.52

63.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.07 ฿35.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$0.52 ฿17.51

319.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$4.20 ฿142

42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$18.79 ฿634

-16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$1.82 ฿61.5

56.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.84 ฿95.8

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$1.45 ฿48.98

-12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$56.7 ฿1,912

30.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$3.02 ฿102

-56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.02 ฿34.33

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$3.69 ฿125

136.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.47 ฿49.76

2.04%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

29.54%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

58.42%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$96.4 ฿3,251

-44.99%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$11.26 ฿380

222.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$16.85 ฿568

256.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$67.2 ฿2,268

1.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$10.73 ฿362

622.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$7.50 ฿253

-4.53%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

17.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-30.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$62.4 ฿2,104

16.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$28.41 ฿958

100.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$94.3 ฿3,181

28.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$85.8 ฿2,895

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$716 ฿24.2K

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-0.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-50.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

159.75%

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 Cartago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 32.3% $234

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24% $84

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 16.6% $25

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 20.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

13 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartago Phuket 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

Cartago vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cartago is about 2.6 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: $733 in Cartago versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 24% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,733 in Cartago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cartago. 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, Cartago 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, Cartago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.