Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. The total is higher in Perez Zeledon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Perez Zeledon $1,317

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,364 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Perez Zeledon $2,364

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,410 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Perez Zeledon $3,410

Phuket is about 3% cheaper than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Perez Zeledon are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Perez Zeledon 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.09 ₡4,102

-50.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$37.24 ₡16.8K

-12.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.19 ₡3,699

7.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.70 ₡1,217

4.81%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.97 ₡887

-55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.78 ₡805

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.73 ₡780

47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 ₡1,447

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.60 ₡724

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.13 ₡1,413

-53.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.49 ₡1,122

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.49 ₡1,126

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.73 ₡4,846

77.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.28 ₡4,639

-67.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.14 ₡6,384

-22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.24 ₡2,365

-44.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.08 ₡488

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.89 ₡2,206

-53.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.85 ₡1,737

-45.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.72 ₡1,680

-59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$3.59 ₡1,622

-61.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.45 ₡205

137.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$3.09 ₡1,394

-83.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.57 ₡2,516

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.80 ₡8,937

-5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.87 ₡1,297

-36.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.63 ₡1,638

-21.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.81 ₡364

79.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.49 ₡1,126

21.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.63 ₡737

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.76 ₡3,955

-57.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.52 ₡688

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$33.8K ₡15.2M

-20.67%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-36.62%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$93.6 ₡42.2K

2.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.99 ₡10.8K

-53.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$59.2 ₡26.7K

-71.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$67.9 ₡30.7K

-1.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.67 ₡3,464

-2.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$498 ₡224.8K

-4.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-34.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-13.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-48.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$128 ₡57.7K

-26.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$133 ₡60.0K

-35.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$402 ₡181.3K

78.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$326 ₡147.1K

50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,133 ₡963.0K

-9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,260 ₡568.7K

13.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8% 33.6% $165

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1% 43.9% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4% 42% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2% 43.1% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1% 31.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1% 80.3% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $402 in Perez Zeledon. 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 $37 in Perez Zeledon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $383 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

135,000

💱 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 = 1.98 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Perez Zeledon 18,090 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,975 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,317 in Perez Zeledon. That makes Phuket about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $498 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.