Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Guadalupe, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Guadalupe

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Guadalupe $1,601

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,490 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Guadalupe $2,490

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,379 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Guadalupe $3,379

Phuket is about 19% cheaper than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Guadalupe is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$11.11 ₡4,996

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$32.87 ₡14.8K

-1.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$8.77 ₡3,942

-0.80%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$3.25 ₡1,460

-16.31%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$2.15 ₡966

-56.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$1.86 ₡837

-73.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$3.36 ₡1,513

-24.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.41 ₡1,983

-17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$2.16 ₡973

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$3.19 ₡1,436

-54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.44 ₡1,098

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$3.48 ₡1,566

-37.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$9.60 ₡4,319

98.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$9.95 ₡4,472

-65.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$13.84 ₡6,223

-21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$5.11 ₡2,299

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.63 ₡734

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$4.71 ₡2,118

-53.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$3.77 ₡1,695

-43.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$3.91 ₡1,759

-62.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$3.71 ₡1,666

-63.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$1.11 ₡499

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$3.09 ₡1,392

-82.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.46 ₡2,004

-0.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$20.12 ₡9,047

-9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$2.76 ₡1,241

-35.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$3.58 ₡1,611

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$1.35 ₡606

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.06 ₡926

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$1.60 ₡721

-51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.94 ₡4,019

-57.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.42 ₡637

4.93%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$25.9K ₡11.6M

3.98%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$41.5K ₡18.7M

-36.48%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$35.93 ₡16.2K

172.22%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$26.33 ₡11.8K

-57.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$54.3 ₡24.4K

-68.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$66.9 ₡30.1K

2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.80 ₡3,510

-4.74%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$990 ₡445.0K

-46.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

10.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$70.3 ₡31.6K

-12.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$43.98 ₡19.8K

-35.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$131 ₡59.0K

-26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$98.4 ₡44.3K

-11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$819 ₡368.4K

-11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$644 ₡289.4K

-20.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$1,873 ₡842.4K

4.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,253 ₡563.6K

11.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,232 ₡553.9K

-60.09%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Guadalupe

$644 40.2% 26.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Guadalupe

$392 24.5% 47% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Guadalupe

$117 7.3% 7.7% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Guadalupe

$155 9.7% 26.1% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Guadalupe

$196 12.2% 63.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Guadalupe

$83 5.2% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Guadalupe

$15 * 1% 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 $819 in Guadalupe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guadalupe are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $33 in Guadalupe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $392 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 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 Guadalupe 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,601 in Guadalupe – Phuket comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,401 in Guadalupe. 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 $819 in Guadalupe.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $33 in Guadalupe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Guadalupe, 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 Guadalupe at $1,601. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe 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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.