Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liberia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,621 in Liberia, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Liberia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,621

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Liberia versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Liberia $1,621
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,267 in Liberia versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Liberia $2,267
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,914 in Liberia versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Liberia $2,914
Phuket $2,867

Living in Liberia is roughly 34% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Liberia is 20% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 ₡4,858

$4.58 ฿154

136.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₡17.0K

$32.48 ฿1,091

16.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 ₡4,889

$8.55 ฿287

27.25%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ₡1,591

$2.72 ฿91.5

30.15%

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

$1.99 ₡894

$0.94 ฿31.41

111.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₡723

$0.49 ฿16.48

228.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 ₡1,198

$2.59 ฿87.0

3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₡1,974

$3.83 ฿129

14.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,090

$1.74 ฿58.4

39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,406

$1.43 ฿48.07

118.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,030

$1.53 ฿51.3

49.67%

Eggs

$3.42 ₡1,535

$2.17 ฿73.1

57.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 ₡3,539

$19.15 ฿643

-58.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 ₡3,534

$3.30 ฿111

138.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.42 ₡5,580

$11.14 ฿374

11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,315

$2.95 ฿99.0

74.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡698

$1.68 ฿56.4

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ₡1,133

$2.30 ฿77.2

9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,454

$2.13 ฿71.6

52.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,755

$1.53 ฿51.4

155.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ₡1,171

$1.36 ฿45.78

91.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡484

$1.12 ฿37.63

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₡966

$0.55 ฿18.33

290.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,221

$4.26 ฿143

15.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.49 ₡6,960

$18.19 ฿611

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₡1,036

$1.74 ฿58.5

32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,596

$2.79 ฿93.8

27.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₡500

$2.22 ฿74.4

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 ₡24.5K

$22.06 ฿741

147.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,105

$2.91 ฿97.8

-15.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.01 ฿33.97

54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.64 ₡3,882

$3.83 ฿129

125.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.49 ฿50.1

5.37%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$26.7K ฿896.2K

-16.45%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$26.7K ฿897.2K

31.15%

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

$94.3 ₡42.4K

$99.4 ฿3,338

-5.12%

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

$30.81 ₡13.8K

$11.28 ฿379

173.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.82 ₡17.9K

$17.36 ฿583

129.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 ₡22.1K

$52.3 ฿1,756

-5.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.92 ₡15.7K

$10.85 ฿364

221.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,389

$7.57 ฿254

-0.40%

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

$1,002 ₡450.1K

$558 ฿18.8K

79.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$11.5K ฿385.9K

48.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 ₡29.7K

$62.9 ฿2,112

5.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.81 ₡16.5K

$28.58 ฿960

28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.4K

$96.1 ฿3,229

35.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ₡41.6K

$88.1 ฿2,958

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.8K

$729 ฿24.5K

8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡288.1K

$460 ฿15.5K

39.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$926 ₡416.0K

$2,096 ฿70.4K

-55.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₡331.9K

$1,222 ฿41.1K

-39.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 ₡398.3K

$493 ฿16.6K

79.78%

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 Liberia: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Liberia

$641 39.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 28.3% $181

Groceries & Markets

Liberia

$337 20.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.5% $69

Eating Out

Liberia

$198 12.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 38.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liberia

$165 10.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 22.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Liberia

$147 9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 15.3% $22

Getting Around

Liberia

$69 4.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 43.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Liberia

$64 4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Liberia and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liberia pays 80% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Liberia vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Liberia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

13 h ahead of Liberia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Liberia Phuket 17,910 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Liberia
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

Liberia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Liberia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Liberia, 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: $794 in Liberia versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $38.00 in Liberia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,621 per month in Liberia versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,621 in Liberia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Liberia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Liberia 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Liberia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.