Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samara, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,032 in Samara.

Phuket $1,278
Samara $2,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,533 in Samara.

Phuket $2,216
Samara $3,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,034 in Samara.

Phuket $3,154
Samara $5,034

Living in Phuket costs roughly 37% less than in Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Samara is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.07 ₡4,997

-59.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$62.2 ₡28.1K

-47.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.70 ₡5,282

-24.70%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.34 ₡1,960

-34.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.72 ₡1,229

-68.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.92 ₡866

-74.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.32 ₡1,501

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.51 ₡2,036

-18.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.42 ₡1,095

-31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.05 ₡1,376

-52.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.50 ₡1,129

-40.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.46 ₡1,561

-39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.78 ₡4,868

76.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.49 ₡4,736

-68.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.82 ₡4,885

0.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.01 ₡2,263

-41.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.65 ₡745

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.72 ₡2,129

-52.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.82 ₡1,723

-45.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$3.69 ₡1,665

-62.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.08 ₡487

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$3.09 ₡1,397

-83.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.57 ₡2,516

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.86 ₡8,513

-0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.78 ₡1,255

-34.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.48 ₡1,119

14.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.40 ₡630

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.48 ₡1,118

21.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.57 ₡709

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.51 ₡3,843

-56.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.52 ₡686

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-21.96%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$41.2K ₡18.6M

-35.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$94.0 ₡42.4K

2.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.45 ₡16.0K

-68.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$59.0 ₡26.6K

-71.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$66.9 ₡30.2K

0.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.88 ₡3,556

-4.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$502 ₡226.4K

-5.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,013 ₡2.7M

87.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$67.1 ₡30.3K

-7.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$55.5 ₡25.1K

-48.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$129 ₡58.4K

-27.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$133 ₡60.0K

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,373 ₡619.7K

-47.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$967 ₡436.4K

-49.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,769 ₡1.7M

-48.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,611 ₡1.2M

-45.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,955 ₡2.2M

-15.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Samara

$967 47.6% 96.9% $476

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Samara

$385 19% 44.7% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Samara

$188 9.3% 51.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samara

$173 8.5% 42.1% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samara

$220 10.8% 80.7% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Samara

$83 4.1% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 77.5% $55

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,373 in Samara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Samara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $385 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,071

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samara 17,990 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,048 in Samara 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,373 in Samara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $502 in Samara. 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 Samara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,032 in Samara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Samara. 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 Samara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.