Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,680 in Quesada, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
Learn more

Quesada Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,680

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Quesada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,680 in Quesada.

Phuket $1,294
Quesada $1,680

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,668 in Quesada.

Phuket $2,204
Quesada $2,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,656 in Quesada.

Phuket $3,115
Quesada $3,656

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Quesada is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$12.40 ₡5,576

-64.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$61.7 ₡27.8K

-47.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$11.57 ₡5,204

-24.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.57 ₡2,056

-40.48%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.75 ₡1,236

-66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.92 ₡865

-73.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.27 ₡1,471

-22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.49 ₡1,119

45.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.41 ₡1,084

-27.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.76 ₡1,240

-47.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.45 ₡1,102

-38.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.60 ₡1,171

-16.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.68 ₡4,802

78.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.58 ₡4,759

-67.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$13.85 ₡6,228

-21.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.19 ₡2,333

-43.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.60 ₡718

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.12 ₡505

95.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.82 ₡1,719

-44.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.92 ₡1,762

-62.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$3.58 ₡1,611

-61.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.12 ₡503

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$3.22 ₡1,448

-82.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.79 ₡2,605

-23.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$15.29 ₡6,878

19.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.79 ₡1,254

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.58 ₡1,608

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.36 ₡610

6.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.55 ₡697

-2.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.63 ₡735

-52.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$8.90 ₡4,003

-56.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.52 ₡682

-1.97%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-21.86%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$41.9K ₡18.9M

-37.17%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$96.0 ₡43.2K

1.89%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$29.80 ₡13.4K

-62.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$55.5 ₡24.9K

-69.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$68.6 ₡30.8K

-0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$16.66 ₡7,491

-34.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.35 ₡2,405

38.88%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$253 ₡113.8K

109.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$4,284 ₡1.9M

338.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$70.3 ₡31.6K

-12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-50.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$130 ₡58.3K

-26.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$112 ₡50.3K

-22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$817 ₡367.3K

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$638 ₡287.1K

-20.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,921 ₡863.8K

1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,264 ₡568.6K

10.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,128 ₡1.9M

1.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,196 ₡987.4K

50.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Quesada: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Quesada

$638 38% 25.5% $130

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Quesada

$371 22.1% 39.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Quesada

$181 10.8% 43.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Quesada

$166 9.9% 35.3% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Quesada

$229 13.6% 91.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Quesada

$79 4.7% 4.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 77.1% $51

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 $721 in Phuket and $817 in Quesada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Quesada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $371 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

42,000

💱 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 = 1.99 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Quesada 17,970 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,520 in Quesada to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $817 in Quesada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $253 in Quesada. 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 $62 in Quesada. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,680 in Quesada, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Quesada. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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