Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Juan, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,723 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,723 in San Juan.

Phuket $1,294
San Juan $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Phuket versus $2,746 in San Juan.

Phuket $2,224
San Juan $2,746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,770 in San Juan.

Phuket $3,154
San Juan $3,770

Living in Phuket costs roughly 25% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 5% below, San Juan is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$12.46 ₡5,602

-64.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-46.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$11.85 ₡5,331

-26.58%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$4.35 ₡1,956

-37.47%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$2.75 ₡1,238

-66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$1.90 ₡855

-73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$3.34 ₡1,502

-24.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.52 ₡2,035

-19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$2.33 ₡1,047

-25.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$3.11 ₡1,400

-53.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.44 ₡1,096

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$3.48 ₡1,565

-37.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$10.66 ₡4,794

79.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.52 ₡4,731

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$13.99 ₡6,291

-22.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$5.03 ₡2,264

-41.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.59 ₡715

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$4.78 ₡2,149

-54.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$3.81 ₡1,713

-44.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$3.89 ₡1,748

-62.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$3.76 ₡1,690

-63.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$1.12 ₡504

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$3.10 ₡1,393

-82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.86 ₡2,635

-24.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$19.61 ₡8,820

-6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$2.86 ₡1,287

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$3.59 ₡1,613

-19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$1.35 ₡605

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.42 ₡1,087

-37.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$1.56 ₡699

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.62 ₡3,877

-55.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.58 ₡711

-5.70%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-21.87%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-36.22%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$95.5 ₡43.0K

2.38%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$35.02 ₡15.7K

-67.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-71.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$67.0 ₡30.1K

1.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.71 ₡3,469

-3.63%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$980 ₡440.7K

-45.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

9.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$56.2 ₡25.3K

-49.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$129 ₡58.2K

-25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$134 ₡60.1K

-35.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$798 ₡358.8K

-9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$627 ₡282.1K

-18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$1,922 ₡864.2K

1.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,287 ₡578.7K

8.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Juan

$627 36.4% 23.3% $118

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Juan

$399 23.2% 49.5% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Juan

$191 11.1% 51% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Juan

$176 10.2% 43.5% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Juan

$232 13.5% 93.9% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Juan

$82 4.8% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 76.4% $50

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 $798 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $399 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

27,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 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 San Juan 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 25% 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 $1,940 in Phuket and $2,584 in San Juan 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 $798 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $980 in San Juan. 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 $61 in San Juan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,723 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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 San Juan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San Juan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.