Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alajuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,004 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
Learn more

Alajuela Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alajuela

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Alajuela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,004 in Alajuela.

Phuket $1,278
Alajuela $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,609 in Alajuela.

Phuket $2,216
Alajuela $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,213 in Alajuela.

Phuket $3,154
Alajuela $2,213

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Alajuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Alajuela 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.15 ₡5,481

-63.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$44.06 ₡19.9K

-26.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.00 ₡4,964

-19.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.56 ₡2,055

-37.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.42 ₡1,093

-64.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.74 ₡787

-71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.89 ₡1,304

-11.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.84 ₡1,733

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.39 ₡1,081

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.13 ₡510

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.17 ₡978

-30.88%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.48 ₡1,569

-39.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.79 ₡4,869

76.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.46 ₡4,722

-68.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.99 ₡6,314

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.14 ₡964

36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.58 ₡712

6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.16 ₡974

4.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.84 ₡1,735

-45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.17 ₡978

-30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.16 ₡973

-36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.03 ₡463

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.01 ₡457

-48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.47 ₡2,470

-23.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$20.08 ₡9,059

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.40 ₡634

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.02 ₡461

178.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.77 ₡347

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$126 ₡56.7K

-54.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.76 ₡793

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.56 ₡705

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.09 ₡3,650

-54.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.52 ₡685

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.0K ₡15.4M

-21.31%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$28.2K ₡12.7M

-5.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$79.8 ₡36.0K

20.71%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$30.12 ₡13.6K

-62.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-71.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.72 ₡3,484

-2.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$993 ₡448.2K

-52.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-33.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$70.7 ₡31.9K

-11.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$56.0 ₡25.2K

-49.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$130 ₡58.8K

-27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$72.2 ₡32.6K

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$760 ₡342.9K

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,426 ₡643.6K

35.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

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)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,112 ₡953.2K

-76.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Alajuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Alajuela

$309 30.7% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Alajuela

$170 16.9% 36.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alajuela

$148 14.8% 21.5% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alajuela

$224 22.3% 83.7% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5% 81.2% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Alajuela

$138 13.8% 96% $68

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 $716 in Phuket and $760 in Alajuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays about 4.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in Alajuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $309 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

15:19 3:19 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Alajuela 18,000 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alajuela

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

Phuket vs Alajuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $760 in Alajuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 55% less than in Alajuela. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $993 in Alajuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Alajuela gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.