Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
Learn more

Jaco Beach Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

Phuket $1,278
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

Phuket $2,216
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

Phuket $3,154
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in Phuket costs roughly 12% less than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.32 ₡5,106

-60.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$43.14 ₡19.5K

-24.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.22 ₡4,612

-13.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.99 ₡1,799

-29.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.40 ₡1,085

-63.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.87 ₡844

-73.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.19 ₡1,441

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.33 ₡1,954

-15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.98 ₡892

-16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.19 ₡989

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.39 ₡1,078

-37.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.60 ₡1,175

-19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.78 ₡4,865

76.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.88 ₡4,008

-62.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.11 ₡5,466

-9.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.95 ₡2,233

-40.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.66 ₡748

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.75 ₡2,141

-52.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.42 ₡1,544

-39.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.50 ₡676

0.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.42 ₡641

-2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.99 ₡447

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.99 ₡900

-73.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.01 ₡2,711

-30.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.81 ₡6,231

36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.64 ₡1,192

-31.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.18 ₡985

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.49 ₡1,125

21.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.63 ₡735

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.53 ₡3,848

-56.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.57 ₡707

-6.37%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-20.99%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-37.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$79.6 ₡35.9K

21.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.88 ₡10.8K

-52.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-64.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$52.0 ₡23.4K

29.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.72 ₡3,483

-2.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$479 ₡216.3K

-0.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,442 ₡3.4M

51.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$25.50 ₡11.5K

144.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-49.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$127 ₡57.3K

-25.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$133 ₡59.8K

-35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$748 ₡337.6K

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$526 ₡237.2K

-6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,984 ₡895.4K

-2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,099 ₡495.8K

30.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$402 ₡181.3K

25.03%

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 Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 7.1% $35

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 21.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 26% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 73.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 18% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 84.9% $60

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 $716 in Phuket and $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $326 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Jaco Beach 18,040 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $479 in Jaco Beach. 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 $43 in Jaco Beach. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Jaco Beach are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.