Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,692 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Desamparados

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,692 in Desamparados, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Desamparados $1,692

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,664 in Desamparados, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Desamparados $2,664

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,636 in Desamparados, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Desamparados $3,636

Phuket is about 24% cheaper than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Desamparados is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$12.32 ₡5,539

-64.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$58.8 ₡26.4K

-45.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$11.56 ₡5,201

-24.74%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.30 ₡1,936

-36.74%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.66 ₡1,195

-65.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.92 ₡863

-73.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.22 ₡1,450

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.35 ₡1,954

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.35 ₡1,055

-25.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.77 ₡1,243

-47.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.50 ₡1,124

-40.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.57 ₡1,604

-39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.86 ₡4,886

75.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.28 ₡4,624

-66.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$14.19 ₡6,383

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.22 ₡2,348

-43.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.59 ₡716

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.27 ₡1,473

-33.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.44 ₡1,549

-38.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.10 ₡1,395

-52.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$3.23 ₡1,452

-57.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.05 ₡470

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$2.71 ₡1,220

-79.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.57 ₡2,505

-20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$16.73 ₡7,526

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.60 ₡1,169

-31.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.74 ₡1,233

5.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.30 ₡586

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.50 ₡1,123

-39.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.54 ₡694

-49.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$8.71 ₡3,917

-55.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.52 ₡682

-1.97%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$33.7K ₡15.1M

-20.19%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$42.4K ₡19.1M

-37.92%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$93.1 ₡41.8K

5.12%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$29.52 ₡13.3K

-61.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$58.9 ₡26.5K

-70.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$69.0 ₡31.0K

-1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.49 ₡3,368

-0.80%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$845 ₡380.0K

-37.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

9.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-49.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$127 ₡57.1K

-24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$134 ₡60.1K

-35.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$800 ₡359.7K

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$636 ₡286.1K

-20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,877 ₡844.1K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,240 ₡557.6K

12.65%

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

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 Desamparados: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Desamparados

$636 37.6% 25% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Desamparados

$372 22% 39.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Desamparados

$181 10.7% 43.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Desamparados

$175 10.3% 42.3% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Desamparados

$228 13.5% 90.7% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Desamparados

$84 5% 1% $0.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Desamparados

$15 * 0.9% 76.6% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $800 in Desamparados. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $59 in Desamparados. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $372 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Desamparados 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,692 in Desamparados – Phuket comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,538 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $800 in Desamparados.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $59 in Desamparados. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Desamparados, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Desamparados at $1,692. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Desamparados it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.