Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 53% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 45.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 53.4% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,312

$4.35 ฿146

170.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 ₡25.0K

$32.45 ฿1,087

71.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 ₡4,831

$8.42 ฿282

27.32%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,023

$2.81 ฿94.0

59.79%

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

$2.33 ₡1,051

$0.87 ฿29.29

167.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡815

$0.46 ฿15.39

293.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,455

$2.59 ฿86.6

24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,992

$3.64 ฿122

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,037

$1.71 ฿57.2

34.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 ₡1,600

$1.45 ฿48.42

144.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,221

$1.56 ฿52.3

73.72%

Eggs

$4.05 ₡1,825

$2.10 ฿70.3

92.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 ₡4,473

$19.53 ฿654

-49.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,729

$3.40 ฿114

208.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₡6,111

$11.14 ฿373

21.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,312

$2.83 ฿94.8

81.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.62 ฿54.3

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,639

$2.22 ฿74.5

63.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,463

$2.15 ฿71.9

50.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,534

$1.49 ฿49.95

128.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.33 ฿44.40

132.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.07 ฿35.72

3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$0.51 ฿17.01

417.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,446

$4.38 ฿147

23.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 ₡7,048

$18.77 ฿629

-16.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.74 ฿58.3

58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$2.78 ฿92.9

17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₡480

$2.17 ฿72.6

-50.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$22.28 ฿746

193.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡981

$3.02 ฿101

-27.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ₡916

$1.06 ฿35.43

91.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 ₡3,977

$3.71 ฿124

137.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡688

$1.43 ฿47.88

6.99%

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

$32.8K ₡14.8M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

24.40%

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

$36.0K ₡16.2M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

37.30%

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

$93.4 ₡42.1K

$96.7 ฿3,236

-3.37%

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

$30.19 ₡13.6K

$11.41 ฿382

164.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 ₡25.7K

$17.11 ฿573

233.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$52.8 ฿1,768

23.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.13 ₡9,976

$11.07 ฿371

99.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 ₡3,645

$7.65 ฿256

5.75%

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

$740 ₡333.8K

$555 ฿18.6K

33.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.7M

$11.3K ฿377.7K

11.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.0K

$63.4 ฿2,123

19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$28.61 ฿958

90.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$96.7 ฿3,238

31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.3K

$88.6 ฿2,967

21.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ₡375.3K

$735 ฿24.6K

13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.1K

$458 ฿15.3K

40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 ₡800.8K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-15.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ₡536.9K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

0.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,437 ₡1.1M

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-30.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₡735.2K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-34.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 ₡465.8K

$501 ฿16.8K

106.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

5.57

71.63%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$641 36.7%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 28.6% $183

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 21.7%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 29.3% $111

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$222 12.7%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 46.2% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$181 10.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 30.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$164 9.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 23.9% $39

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 52.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.6%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 16.2% $13

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

15:45 3:45 PM

13 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

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 = 2.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Phuket 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
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.

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Phuket

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Costa Rica

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