Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalupe, Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,601 per month in Guadalupe vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Guadalupe $1,601
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Guadalupe vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Guadalupe $2,490
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,379 per month in Guadalupe vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Guadalupe $3,379
Phuket $3,115

Guadalupe costs about 24% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guadalupe sits 18% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 ₡4,996

$4.39 ฿148

153.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.87 ₡14.8K

$32.31 ฿1,089

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 ₡3,942

$8.70 ฿293

0.80%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₡1,460

$2.72 ฿91.8

19.49%

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

$2.15 ₡966

$0.93 ฿31.35

131.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$0.50 ฿16.83

272.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,513

$2.53 ฿85.3

32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,983

$3.63 ฿122

21.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₡973

$1.74 ฿58.6

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,436

$1.45 ฿48.89

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$1.50 ฿50.6

62.67%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,566

$2.17 ฿73.2

60.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ₡4,319

$19.09 ฿643

-49.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 ₡4,472

$3.40 ฿115

192.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,223

$10.90 ฿367

26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,299

$2.94 ฿99.1

73.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡734

$1.69 ฿57.0

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,118

$2.19 ฿73.9

115.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,695

$2.12 ฿71.6

77.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,759

$1.46 ฿49.15

167.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,666

$1.37 ฿46.10

170.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.08 ฿36.26

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,392

$0.55 ฿18.38

461.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ₡2,004

$4.43 ฿149

0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.12 ₡9,047

$18.25 ฿615

10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,241

$1.77 ฿59.7

55.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,611

$2.88 ฿97.1

24.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡606

$1.45 ฿48.78

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₡926

$1.51 ฿51.0

36.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 ₡721

$0.78 ฿26.14

105.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,019

$3.84 ฿129

132.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡637

$1.49 ฿50.1

-4.70%

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

$25.9K ₡11.6M

$26.9K ฿905.9K

-3.83%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$26.3K ฿887.8K

57.44%

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

$35.93 ₡16.2K

$97.8 ฿3,296

-63.27%

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

$26.33 ₡11.8K

$11.29 ฿381

133.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 ₡24.4K

$17.19 ฿579

215.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.1K

$68.3 ฿2,303

-2.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 ₡3,510

$7.43 ฿250

4.98%

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

$990 ₡445.0K

$530 ฿17.9K

86.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$18.8K ฿632.9K

-9.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.6K

$61.7 ฿2,078

13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 ₡19.8K

$28.25 ฿952

55.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$96.0 ฿3,235

36.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ₡44.3K

$86.8 ฿2,926

13.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₡368.4K

$721 ฿24.3K

13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 ₡289.4K

$509 ฿17.1K

26.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 ₡842.4K

$1,950 ฿65.7K

-3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ₡563.6K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-10.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,232 ₡553.9K

$492 ฿16.6K

150.55%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalupe

$644 40.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 20.9% $135

Groceries & Markets

Guadalupe

$392 24.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 32% $125

Eating Out

Guadalupe

$196 12.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 38.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalupe

$155 9.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 20.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalupe

$117 7.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 8.3% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalupe

$83 5.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Guadalupe

$15 * 1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 327% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Guadalupe versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guadalupe are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

13 h ahead of Guadalupe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

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 = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guadalupe Phuket 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Guadalupe
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

Guadalupe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,601 in Guadalupe, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Guadalupe and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $819 in Guadalupe.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Guadalupe, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Guadalupe at $1,601. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.