Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San José

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $913 in San José.

Phuket $1,208
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,449 in San José.

Phuket $2,027
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,985 in San José.

Phuket $2,845
San José $1,985

Living in Phuket is roughly 32% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, San José 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$12.95 UYU 520

-66.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$43.87 UYU 1,761

-26.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$13.82 UYU 555

-36.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.88 UYU 196

-42.01%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-62.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-78.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.92 UYU 117

-12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.48 UYU 140

10.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.99 UYU 39.77

74.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-26.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.47 UYU 59.0

2.72%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.62 UYU 105

-17.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.01 UYU 482

64.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.26 UYU 291

-53.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.07 UYU 484

-7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.22 UYU 48.77

133.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.54 UYU 61.8

10.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.21 UYU 48.71

80.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.54 UYU 61.7

33.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.98 UYU 39.49

47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.28 UYU 51.5

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.49 UYU 59.7

-28.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-74.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.82 UYU 394

-56.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.17 UYU 328

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.05 UYU 123

-41.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.35 UYU 135

-14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.50 UYU 141

-14.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.45 UYU 139

-69.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.95 UYU 399

-61.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-32.56%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-27.69%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-32.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$113 UYU 4,547

-14.93%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.78 UYU 955

-53.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$47.11 UYU 1,891

-63.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.35 UYU 496

-36.76%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$494 UYU 19.8K

12.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

73.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-27.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.57 UYU 1,508

-23.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$164 UYU 6,601

-42.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$117 UYU 4,699

-24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

San José

$256 28.1% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

San José

$184 20.2% 47.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

San José

$183 20.1% 47.5% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

San José

$243 26.7% 101% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 63.6% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 47.4% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $44.00 in San José. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $256, with San José cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

36,747

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San José 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,369 in San José 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.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $494 in San José. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San José – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $913 in San José versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San José the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San José is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.