Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Curridabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,660 in Curridabat, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
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Curridabat Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Curridabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Curridabat.

Phuket $1,294
Curridabat $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,756 in Curridabat.

Phuket $2,204
Curridabat $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,852 in Curridabat.

Phuket $3,115
Curridabat $3,852

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Curridabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Curridabat is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$11.14 ₡5,010

-60.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-42.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$9.64 ₡4,334

-9.75%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.42 ₡1,987

-38.46%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.04 ₡916

-54.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.40 ₡629

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.40 ₡1,528

-25.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.95 ₡1,326

23.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.34 ₡1,051

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$3.07 ₡1,379

-52.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.51 ₡1,128

-40.24%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.54 ₡1,591

-38.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.83 ₡4,870

76.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.62 ₡4,775

-67.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.90 ₡6,251

-21.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$4.99 ₡2,246

-41.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.60 ₡719

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.69 ₡2,111

-53.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.95 ₡1,778

-46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.94 ₡1,771

-62.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$3.76 ₡1,690

-63.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.11 ₡499

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$3.13 ₡1,410

-82.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.02 ₡2,707

-26.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$20.10 ₡9,039

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.87 ₡1,291

-38.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.59 ₡1,612

-19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.23 ₡554

17.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.25 ₡1,013

-32.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.81 ₡812

-56.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$7.94 ₡3,569

-51.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.55 ₡699

-3.87%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-19.61%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-36.19%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$96.4 ₡43.4K

1.43%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$35.56 ₡16.0K

-68.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-71.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$59.4 ₡26.7K

14.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.56 ₡3,401

-1.72%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$997 ₡448.2K

-46.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$19.2K ₡8.6M

-1.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$73.1 ₡32.9K

-15.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-50.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$128 ₡57.7K

-25.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$134 ₡60.4K

-35.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$793 ₡356.7K

-9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$590 ₡265.5K

-13.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,860 ₡836.6K

4.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,447 ₡650.7K

-3.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$492 ₡221.1K

0.00%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Curridabat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Curridabat

$590 35.6% 16% $82

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Curridabat

$402 24.2% 50.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Curridabat

$193 11.6% 52.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Curridabat

$177 10.6% 43.8% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Curridabat

$208 12.5% 73.7% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Curridabat

$75 4.5% 10.4% $8.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Curridabat

$16 * 1% 75.5% $50

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 $721 in Phuket and $793 in Curridabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Curridabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $402 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

13:35 1:35 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,000

💱 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 = 1.99 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Curridabat 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Curridabat

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 Curridabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,490 in Curridabat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $793 in Curridabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $997 in Curridabat. 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 $56 in Curridabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Curridabat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Curridabat. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Curridabat, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.