Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, Costa Rica

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,532 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,432 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,432

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.18 ₡5,500

-63.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$43.30 ₡19.5K

-25.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.95 ₡4,944

-19.54%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.88 ₡1,752

-27.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.42 ₡1,094

-64.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.82 ₡823

-73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.21 ₡1,447

-20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.10 ₡1,849

-10.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.00 ₡902

-17.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.07 ₡1,386

-52.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.44 ₡1,101

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.08 ₡1,390

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.46 ₡2,915

195.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.56 ₡3,412

-56.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.18 ₡6,400

-23.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.72 ₡1,226

7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.11 ₡501

52.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.30 ₡587

73.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.71 ₡773

21.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.66 ₡1,199

-43.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.02 ₡911

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.65 ₡292

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.93 ₡869

-73.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.22 ₡1,452

30.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$15.19 ₡6,859

23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.89 ₡1,306

-37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.53 ₡1,594

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.35 ₡611

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$43.19 ₡19.5K

31.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.76 ₡793

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.60 ₡723

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$8.83 ₡3,986

-58.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.51 ₡680

-2.65%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$34.1K ₡15.4M

-21.38%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$41.6K ₡18.8M

-35.81%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$94.8 ₡42.8K

1.69%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.25 ₡15.9K

-68.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$33.45 ₡15.1K

-49.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$67.7 ₡30.6K

-0.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.57 ₡3,420

-0.92%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$987 ₡445.4K

-51.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.4K ₡7.9M

-35.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$65.2 ₡29.4K

-4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$26.77 ₡12.1K

6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$99.1 ₡44.7K

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$54.5 ₡24.6K

57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$890 ₡401.6K

-19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$703 ₡317.2K

-30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,029 ₡915.9K

-5.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,387 ₡626.3K

3.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$998 ₡450.6K

-49.68%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$703 43% 43.1% $212

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$296 18.1% 11.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$163 10% 31.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$110 6.8% 9.4% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.4% 79.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$83 5.1% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6% 17.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 99% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $296 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

03:57 3:57 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 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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Between locations

Phuket Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $987 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.