Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Perez Zeledon despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,317
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,364
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,410 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,410
Phuket $3,154

Perez Zeledon costs about 3% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Perez Zeledon and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Perez Zeledon 3% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$4.47 ฿151

103.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$32.41 ฿1,093

14.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$8.81 ฿297

-7.04%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$2.83 ฿95.4

-4.59%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$0.87 ฿29.41

126.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$0.49 ฿16.65

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$2.56 ฿86.3

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$3.68 ฿124

-12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.66 ฿55.9

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$1.46 ฿49.31

114.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.50 ฿50.5

66.00%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$2.09 ฿70.5

19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$19.07 ฿643

-43.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$3.30 ฿111

211.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$10.91 ฿368

29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$2.93 ฿98.9

78.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.69 ฿57.0

-36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$2.25 ฿75.8

117.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$2.08 ฿70.0

85.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$1.51 ฿51.0

146.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.38 ฿46.52

160.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.07 ฿35.96

-57.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$0.52 ฿17.51

494.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$4.20 ฿142

32.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$18.79 ฿634

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$1.82 ฿61.5

57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$2.84 ฿95.8

27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$1.45 ฿48.98

-44.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$3.02 ฿102

-17.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$1.02 ฿34.33

59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$3.69 ฿125

137.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$1.47 ฿49.76

3.40%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

26.06%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

57.77%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$96.4 ฿3,251

-2.89%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$11.26 ฿380

113.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$16.85 ฿568

251.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$67.2 ฿2,268

1.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$7.50 ฿253

2.27%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

53.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$62.4 ฿2,104

15.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$28.41 ฿958

93.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$94.3 ฿3,181

35.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$85.8 ฿2,895

54.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

10.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-11.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.5% $117

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 50.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 29.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.1% $52

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 408% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Perez Zeledon versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

13 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

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 = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Perez Zeledon Phuket 18,090 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

Perez Zeledon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,975 per month in Perez Zeledon and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $498 per month in Perez Zeledon and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.