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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,460 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $2,202 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,943 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 14% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$10.91 ₡4,867

-58.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,554

$49.10 ₡21.9K

-5.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿298

$10.05 ₡4,484

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.74 ₡1,221

11.68%

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

$0.73 ฿24.42

$2.06 ₡919

-64.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.40

$1.65 ₡735

-75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.95 ₡1,316

-17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.96 ₡1,766

-4.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.89 ₡844

19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.88 ₡1,286

-37.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.14 ₡955

5.14%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$3.00 ₡1,337

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$8.81 ₡3,930

121.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$8.39 ₡3,745

-56.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$13.41 ₡5,983

-2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$2.40 ₡1,071

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.08 ₡482

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.2

$1.63 ₡725

46.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.2

$1.77 ₡792

14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$2.04 ₡912

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.90 ₡849

-21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.93

$0.83 ₡372

18.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.40

$1.76 ₡785

-70.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$2.94 ₡1,312

51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$15.42 ₡6,879

18.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$2.46 ₡1,096

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.2

$2.93 ₡1,305

-8.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.17 ₡524

20.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿394

$40.23 ₡17.9K

-70.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$1.67 ₡743

86.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.08

$1.65 ₡738

-36.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿475

$7.74 ₡3,454

82.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.13

$1.47 ₡655

-10.88%

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

$27.8K ฿936.0K

$38.2K ₡17.1M

-27.26%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$32.1K ₡14.3M

3.33%

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

$122 ฿4,120

$93.4 ₡41.7K

31.08%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$25.73 ₡11.5K

-47.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$60.7 ₡27.1K

-69.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,035

$57.3 ₡25.6K

5.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿572

$23.65 ₡10.5K

-28.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$9.97 ₡4,447

-9.03%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$566 ₡252.5K

24.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.8K

$12.7K ₡5.7M

24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,970

$59.7 ₡26.7K

-1.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,190

$23.65 ₡10.6K

49.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,885

$91.1 ₡40.6K

26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,818

$49.15 ₡21.9K

70.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.1K

$765 ₡341.4K

-18.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$603 ₡269.0K

-26.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.7K

$1,538 ₡685.9K

32.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$959 ₡427.6K

55.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$969 ₡432.2K

-48.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.17

-47.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $765 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 94% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $49.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $294 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 94% lower in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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: $626 in Phuket versus $765 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $566 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 2% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,460 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.