Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cartago, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cartago

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 Cartago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,733 in Cartago.

Phuket $1,278
Cartago $1,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,363 in Cartago.

Phuket $2,216
Cartago $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,993 in Cartago.

Phuket $3,154
Cartago $2,993

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cartago is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.61 ₡3,886

-48.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$35.63 ₡16.1K

-9.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.75 ₡4,400

-9.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.55 ₡2,056

-37.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.24 ₡1,013

-61.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.37 ₡618

-64.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.15 ₡972

19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.20 ₡1,896

-12.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.39 ₡1,079

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.48 ₡1,118

-41.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.42 ₡1,093

-38.02%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.59 ₡1,622

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.73 ₡3,940

118.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.61 ₡4,788

-68.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.93 ₡6,288

-21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.05 ₡2,279

-41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.33 ₡601

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.37 ₡1,975

-48.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.99 ₡1,350

-30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.16 ₡977

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.25 ₡1,015

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.07 ₡484

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.18 ₡985

-76.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.98 ₡2,700

-29.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.61 ₡7,047

20.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.85 ₡1,286

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.02 ₡911

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.27 ₡571

14.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$74.1 ₡33.5K

-23.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.31 ₡591

130.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.57 ₡711

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.73 ₡3,941

-57.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.50 ₡675

-2.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.7K ₡15.7M

-22.81%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-36.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$53.0 ₡23.9K

81.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.31 ₡16.4K

-68.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-71.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$68.0 ₡30.7K

-1.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$77.5 ₡35.0K

-86.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.16 ₡3,234

4.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$559 ₡252.2K

-14.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,872 ₡3.6M

43.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$72.8 ₡32.9K

-14.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$56.8 ₡25.7K

-50.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$121 ₡54.8K

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$87.1 ₡39.3K

-1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$733 ₡331.0K

-2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$725 ₡327.1K

-32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,920 ₡866.9K

0.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$702 ₡316.8K

103.89%

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

$1,305 ₡589.0K

-61.50%

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 Cartago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cartago

$725 41.8% 47.6% $234

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cartago

$350 20.2% 31.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cartago

$149 8.6% 20% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cartago

$152 8.8% 24.8% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cartago

$186 10.8% 53.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cartago

$82 4.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 25.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $733 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $36 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $350 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cartago 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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 $733 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 24% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $559 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,733 in Cartago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cartago. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cartago are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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