Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,732 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,732 in San Rafael.

Phuket $1,207
San Rafael $1,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,736 in San Rafael.

Phuket $2,037
San Rafael $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,739 in San Rafael.

Phuket $2,867
San Rafael $3,739

Living in Phuket costs roughly 30% less than in San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, San Rafael is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.25 ₡5,496

-62.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$61.7 ₡27.7K

-47.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.42 ₡5,119

-25.13%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.40 ₡1,973

-38.18%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.73 ₡1,225

-65.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.87 ₡841

-73.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.37 ₡1,510

-23.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.54 ₡2,038

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.33 ₡1,044

-25.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.02 ₡1,352

-52.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.42 ₡1,084

-36.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.52 ₡1,580

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.51 ₡4,712

82.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.25 ₡4,597

-67.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.22 ₡6,378

-21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.09 ₡2,282

-42.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.57 ₡704

7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$4.68 ₡2,098

-50.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.86 ₡1,730

-44.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.88 ₡1,741

-60.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.69 ₡1,653

-63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.09 ₡488

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$3.13 ₡1,403

-82.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.11 ₡2,739

-30.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$20.14 ₡9,031

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.80 ₡1,254

-37.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.58 ₡1,606

-22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.18 ₡527

88.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.51 ₡1,124

15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.57 ₡703

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.48 ₡3,803

-54.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.54 ₡692

-3.25%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

19.52%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-24.83%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$93.5 ₡41.9K

6.30%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-68.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-70.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$63.0 ₡28.3K

-17.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.50 ₡3,362

0.93%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$991 ₡444.6K

-43.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-31.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-10.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-48.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$129 ₡58.0K

-25.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$133 ₡59.5K

-33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$740 ₡332.0K

-1.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$649 ₡291.2K

-29.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,069 ₡927.9K

1.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-4.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 13, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 41.2% $189

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

San Rafael

$398 23% 48.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 47% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 40.8% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 89.1% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 61.3% $24

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 $729 in Phuket and $740 in San Rafael. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $62.0 in San Rafael for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $398 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

30,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Rafael 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $2,599 in San Rafael 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: $729 in Phuket versus $740 in San Rafael. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $991 in San Rafael. 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 $32.00 versus $62.0 in San Rafael. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,732 in San Rafael, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Rafael. 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 Rafael, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San Rafael 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in San Rafael. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.