Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grecia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,506 in Grecia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Grecia
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Grecia Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Grecia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,506

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,506 in Grecia versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Grecia $1,506
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Grecia versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Grecia $2,101
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,696 in Grecia versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Grecia $2,696
Phuket $3,154

Living in Grecia is roughly 18% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grecia is 11% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.27 ₡4,632

$4.47 ฿151

129.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 ₡24.2K

$32.41 ฿1,094

65.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,270

$8.81 ฿297

32.58%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ₡1,451

$2.83 ฿95.5

13.78%

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

$1.80 ₡814

$0.87 ฿29.43

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡841

$0.49 ฿16.67

279.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₡1,183

$2.56 ฿86.4

2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,310

$3.68 ฿124

-21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡918

$1.66 ฿56.0

22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.46 ฿49.35

-22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.50 ฿50.6

66.00%

Eggs

$3.55 ₡1,601

$2.09 ฿70.5

69.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 ₡3,382

$19.07 ฿644

-60.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 ₡2,938

$3.30 ฿111

97.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 ₡6,434

$10.91 ฿368

30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,121

$2.93 ฿99.0

-15.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡718

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ₡611

$2.25 ฿75.8

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ₡774

$2.08 ฿70.1

-17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 ₡803

$1.51 ฿51.0

17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.38 ฿46.56

13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡432

$1.07 ฿35.99

-10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₡1,001

$0.52 ฿17.52

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 ₡2,723

$4.20 ฿142

43.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 ₡5,628

$18.79 ฿634

-33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₡955

$1.82 ฿61.5

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.84 ฿95.9

-45.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 ₡829

$1.45 ฿49.03

26.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ₡913

$3.02 ฿102

-33.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.02 ฿34.36

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,827

$3.69 ฿125

129.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.47 ฿49.81

8.16%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

28.32%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

54.61%

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

$86.2 ₡38.9K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-10.51%

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

$26.86 ₡12.1K

$11.26 ฿380

138.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.6K

$16.85 ฿569

250.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 ₡22.6K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-25.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.97 ₡5,399

$10.73 ฿362

11.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ₡3,414

$7.50 ฿253

0.80%

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

$985 ₡444.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

106.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.9M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

54.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.7K

$62.4 ฿2,106

12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$28.41 ฿959

94.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$94.3 ฿3,184

35.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.6K

$85.8 ฿2,898

56.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 ₡199.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 ₡280.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 ₡348.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-59.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ₡306.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-52.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 ₡297.7K

$502 ฿17.0K

31.33%

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 Grecia: 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

Grecia

$621 41.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 20.9% $130

Groceries & Markets

Grecia

$267 17.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Grecia

$189 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Grecia

$174 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grecia

$172 11.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Grecia

$65 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Grecia

$17 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 310% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $442 in Grecia and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grecia pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Grecia vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Grecia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

13 h ahead of Grecia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Grecia Phuket 18,000 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Grecia
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

Grecia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Grecia. 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 31% higher in Grecia, 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: $442 in Grecia versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,506 per month in Grecia versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $54 in Grecia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,506 in Grecia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Grecia. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Grecia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.