Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Jaco Beach versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Jaco Beach $1,445
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,296 in Jaco Beach versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Jaco Beach $2,296
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,147 in Jaco Beach versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Jaco Beach $3,147
Phuket $3,154

Living in Jaco Beach is roughly 13% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,106

$4.47 ฿151

153.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$32.41 ฿1,094

33.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,612

$8.81 ฿297

16.00%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,799

$2.83 ฿95.5

40.99%

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

$2.40 ₡1,085

$0.87 ฿29.43

175.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$0.49 ฿16.67

281.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,441

$2.56 ฿86.4

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,954

$3.68 ฿124

17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$1.66 ฿56.0

19.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$1.46 ฿49.35

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$1.50 ฿50.6

59.33%

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$2.09 ฿70.5

24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,865

$19.07 ฿644

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,008

$3.30 ฿111

169.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,466

$10.91 ฿368

11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,233

$2.93 ฿99.0

68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡748

$1.69 ฿57.1

-1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,141

$2.25 ฿75.8

111.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,544

$2.08 ฿70.1

64.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$1.51 ฿51.0

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$1.38 ฿46.56

2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.07 ฿35.99

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$0.52 ฿17.52

282.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,711

$4.20 ฿142

43.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,231

$18.79 ฿634

-26.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.82 ฿61.5

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$2.84 ฿95.9

-23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$3.02 ฿102

-17.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.02 ฿34.36

59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,848

$3.69 ฿125

131.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.47 ฿49.81

6.80%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

26.57%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

59.69%

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

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-17.44%

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

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$11.26 ฿380

112.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$16.85 ฿569

183.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.4K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-22.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,483

$7.50 ฿253

2.93%

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

$479 ₡216.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-33.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-59.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$28.41 ฿959

97.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$94.3 ฿3,184

34.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.8K

$85.8 ฿2,898

54.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.4K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡495.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-23.19%

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)

$402 ₡181.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

-20.02%

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 Jaco Beach: 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

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 6.6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 18.3% $60

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 42.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 17.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 22% $15

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 563% $60

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 $748 in Jaco Beach and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Jaco Beach vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

20:01 8:01 PM

13 h ahead of Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jaco Beach Phuket 18,040 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
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

Jaco Beach vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Jaco Beach. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $748 in Jaco Beach versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $479 in Jaco Beach versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Jaco Beach. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Jaco Beach 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.