Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Nosara $3,814

Phuket is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$12.34 ₡5,535

-64.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-47.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.76 ₡3,481

12.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.44 ₡1,992

-36.26%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.79 ₡803

-49.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.29 ₡580

-63.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.24 ₡1,451

-21.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.43 ₡1,985

-13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.55 ₡696

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.53 ₡1,133

-40.32%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.45 ₡1,546

-37.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.32 ₡3,284

169.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$10.24 ₡4,594

-67.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.10 ₡6,326

-20.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.29 ₡1,027

24.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.64 ₡737

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.79 ₡2,149

-54.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.64 ₡735

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.85 ₡1,727

-62.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.75 ₡1,681

-63.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.09 ₡488

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.59 ₡1,160

-80.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.12 ₡2,295

-16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$19.92 ₡8,931

-6.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.52 ₡1,580

-19.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.22 ₡549

85.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-70.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.17 ₡973

38.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.56 ₡698

-32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.67 ₡3,886

-55.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.55 ₡697

-6.45%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.79%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$94.8 ₡42.5K

1.65%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-69.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-67.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-29.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-68.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.91 ₡3,548

-1.26%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$490 ₡219.9K

13.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-2.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.8 ₡24.6K

17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-48.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.4 ₡36.0K

18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$801 ₡359.1K

-7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$790 ₡354.1K

-41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-47.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-14.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-50.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

104.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$887 ₡397.6K

-43.52%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 70.8% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 30.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 75.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 32.2% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 125% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 77% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $350 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

08:58 8:58 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,912

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Nosara 17,980 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $2,753 in Nosara. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 234% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,835 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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