Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,038 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,038 in San Juan del Sur.

Phuket $1,294
San Juan del Sur $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,655 in San Juan del Sur.

Phuket $2,204
San Juan del Sur $1,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,272 in San Juan del Sur.

Phuket $3,115
San Juan del Sur $2,272

Living in Phuket is roughly 25% more expensive than in San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, San Juan del Sur 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$4.26 NIO 156

3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$34.05 NIO 1,247

-5.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$5.49 NIO 201

58.47%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.53 NIO 92.7

7.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.89 NIO 32.60

4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.69 NIO 25.12

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.47 NIO 53.8

72.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.19 NIO 80.2

65.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.20 NIO 43.77

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.47 NIO 54.0

-1.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.17 NIO 42.71

28.21%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.39 NIO 87.5

-9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$7.67 NIO 281

148.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.16 NIO 226

-44.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$7.83 NIO 287

39.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$3.97 NIO 145

-25.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$0.61 NIO 22.36

177.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.78 NIO 65.0

23.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.36 NIO 86.3

-10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$3.11 NIO 114

-53.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-38.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.10 NIO 40.34

-1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.00 NIO 36.73

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.69 NIO 98.4

64.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$9.68 NIO 354

88.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.42 NIO 52.2

24.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.19 NIO 80.3

31.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.67 NIO 61.2

-9.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.59 NIO 58.2

-50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$6.97 NIO 255

-44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.36 NIO 49.66

9.56%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$22.9K NIO 840.2K

17.18%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$25.9K NIO 948.6K

1.72%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$59.3 NIO 2,170

65.08%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$10.65 NIO 390

6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$32.81 NIO 1,202

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$30.17 NIO 1,105

126.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$8.90 NIO 326

-16.52%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$235 NIO 8,592

126.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$6,163 NIO 225.7K

204.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$60.5 NIO 2,215

1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$64.2 NIO 2,350

-55.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$123 NIO 4,502

-21.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$145 NIO 5,298

-39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$426 NIO 15.6K

69.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$380 NIO 13.9K

33.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$916 NIO 33.5K

112.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$776 NIO 28.4K

79.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$351 NIO 12.8K

40.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.92

-53.27%

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 del Sur: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Juan del Sur

$380 36.6% 25.3% $129

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Juan del Sur

$222 21.4% 16.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.9% 18.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Juan del Sur

$177 17% 43.8% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.5% 17.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Juan del Sur

$48 4.6% 42.3% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Juan del Sur

$9.6 * 0.9% 85.5% $56

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 $426 in San Juan del Sur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in San Juan del Sur. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $222, with San Juan del Sur cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,741

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.13 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Juan del Sur 17,840 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Juan del Sur

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 del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan del Sur is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $426 in San Juan del Sur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $235 in San Juan del Sur. 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 $34 in San Juan del Sur. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Juan del Sur gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, San Juan del Sur 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Juan del Sur wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.