Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Juan, Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/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: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,500 in San Juan.

Phuket $1,278
San Juan $2,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,548 in San Juan.

Phuket $2,216
San Juan $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,596 in San Juan.

Phuket $3,154
San Juan $4,596

Living in Phuket costs roughly 49% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, San Juan is 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.78 $18.78

-76.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$81.9 $81.9

-60.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.23 $9.23

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.57 $3.57

-20.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.83 $1.83

-52.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.51 $1.51

-67.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.92 $2.92

-12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.90 $4.90

-24.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.16 $2.16

-23.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.66 $3.66

-60.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.45 $2.45

-38.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.30 $7.30

-71.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.39 $12.39

53.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.70 $9.70

-65.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.35 $13.35

-18.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$4.96 $4.96

-40.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.65 $2.65

-36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.91 $4.91

-54.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.78 $4.78

-56.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.69 $3.69

-59.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.86 $3.86

-64.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$3.44 $3.44

-68.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.65 $1.65

-68.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.76 $11.76

-64.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.36 $15.36

22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$3.14 $3.14

-42.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.94 $3.94

-27.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.78 $0.78

85.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$30.28 $30.28

87.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.44 $2.44

23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.54 $1.54

-33.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$42.10 $42.10

-91.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.18 $1.18

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$34.8K $34.8K

-23.02%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$28.0K $28.0K

-4.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$320 $320

-69.88%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$68.3 $68.3

-83.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$71.2 $71.2

-76.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$41.05 $41.05

63.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.39 $7.39

45.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.43 $10.43

-28.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$836 $836

-43.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$12.5K $12.5K

-9.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$57.3 $57.3

8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$61.6 $61.6

-53.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$110 $110

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$115 $115

-25.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,934 $1,934

-62.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,109 $1,109

-55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,515 $3,515

-45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,606 $1,606

-10.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$7,447 $7,447

-43.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,654 $4,654

-34.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,719 $2,719

-81.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4% 126% $618

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Juan

$414 16.6% 55.4% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Juan

$459 18.4% 269% $335

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Juan

$154 6.2% 26.6% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Juan

$258 10.3% 112% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Juan

$62 2.5% 24.7% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Juan

$44 1.7% 38.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,934 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $82 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $414 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Juan 16,630 km ≈ 21 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 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,934 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $836 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in San Juan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,500 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.

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