Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,933 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Escazu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,933 in Escazu.

Phuket $1,207
Escazu $1,933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,966 in Escazu.

Phuket $2,037
Escazu $2,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,999 in Escazu.

Phuket $2,867
Escazu $3,999

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Escazu is 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.23 ₡5,486

-62.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$62.1 ₡27.9K

-47.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.48 ₡5,146

-25.52%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.56 ₡2,045

-40.35%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.72 ₡1,218

-65.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.85 ₡828

-73.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.36 ₡1,505

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.47 ₡2,006

-14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.32 ₡1,040

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.12 ₡1,397

-54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.49 ₡1,117

-38.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.59 ₡1,611

-39.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.61 ₡4,757

80.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.22 ₡4,581

-67.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.94 ₡6,252

-20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.13 ₡2,301

-42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.62 ₡726

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.16 ₡1,416

-27.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.07 ₡1,378

-30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.79 ₡1,698

-59.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.73 ₡1,674

-63.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.04 ₡465

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.70 ₡762

-67.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.53 ₡2,479

-22.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$18.39 ₡8,249

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.66 ₡745

4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.68 ₡1,202

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.09 ₡491

103.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.06 ₡923

41.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.57 ₡704

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.76 ₡3,927

-56.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.48 ₡664

0.68%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$22.4K ₡10.1M

19.01%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-24.08%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$94.6 ₡42.4K

5.10%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$29.81 ₡13.4K

-62.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-71.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$108 ₡48.6K

-51.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$10.15 ₡4,550

6.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.81 ₡3,502

-3.07%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$457 ₡204.9K

22.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-32.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$71.1 ₡31.9K

-11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$55.7 ₡25.0K

-48.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$131 ₡58.6K

-26.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$130 ₡58.4K

-32.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$834 ₡373.9K

-12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$845 ₡378.8K

-45.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,961 ₡879.3K

6.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,508 ₡676.4K

-18.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,407 ₡630.8K

145.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$972 ₡435.7K

156.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,746 ₡782.8K

-71.75%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Escazu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Escazu

$845 43.7% 83.6% $385

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Escazu

$361 18.7% 34.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Escazu

$184 9.5% 44.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Escazu

$174 9% 40.6% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Escazu

$231 12% 90.4% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Escazu

$124 6.4% 83.9% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Escazu

$14 * 0.7% 63.3% $25

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 $729 in Phuket and $834 in Escazu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays 254% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $62.0 in Escazu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $361 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

07:56 7:56 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

11,984

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Escazu 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 254% lower in Escazu. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $834 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $1,933 in Escazu – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,933 in Escazu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Escazu. 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 Escazu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Escazu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Escazu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.