Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Upala

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,431 in Upala, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
Learn more

Upala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Upala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,431 in Upala.

Phuket $1,294
Upala $1,431

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,262 in Upala.

Phuket $2,204
Upala $2,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,092 in Upala.

Phuket $3,115
Upala $3,092

Living in Phuket costs roughly 10% less than in Upala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Upala is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$12.11 ₡5,444

-63.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$54.7 ₡24.6K

-40.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$11.83 ₡5,319

-26.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.65 ₡1,641

-25.48%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.81 ₡813

-48.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.74 ₡784

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.34 ₡1,502

-24.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.46 ₡2,005

-18.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.15 ₡967

-19.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.70 ₡762

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.48 ₡1,114

-39.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.67 ₡1,199

-18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$3.33 ₡1,496

473.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$6.76 ₡3,041

-49.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$8.75 ₡3,934

24.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.81 ₡815

62.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.65 ₡291

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.87 ₡1,292

-23.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$2.71 ₡1,221

-21.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.83 ₡1,724

-61.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.72 ₡1,222

-49.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.12 ₡505

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$2.69 ₡1,210

-79.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.86 ₡2,637

-24.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.89 ₡3,999

105.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.57 ₡1,156

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.70 ₡1,662

-22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.30 ₡585

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.42 ₡1,087

-37.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.63 ₡733

-52.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$6.64 ₡2,984

-42.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.36 ₡612

9.56%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$34.1K ₡15.4M

-21.28%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-37.58%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$56.5 ₡25.4K

72.99%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$36.32 ₡16.3K

-68.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.90 ₡9,847

-21.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$69.0 ₡31.0K

-0.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.67 ₡3,447

-3.13%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$981 ₡441.3K

-45.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

10.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$33.10 ₡14.9K

86.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$22.18 ₡9,975

27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$129 ₡57.9K

-25.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$32.58 ₡14.6K

166.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$796 ₡357.8K

-9.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$644 ₡289.4K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,869 ₡840.6K

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,238 ₡556.8K

12.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

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 Upala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Upala

$644 45% 26.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Upala

$259 18.1% 3% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Upala

$115 8% 9.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Upala

$97 6.8% 20.6% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Upala

$216 15.1% 80.6% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Upala

$84 5.9% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Upala

$16 * 1.1% 76.1% $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 $721 in Phuket and $796 in Upala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Upala. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $259, with Upala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇷 Upala

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

08:54 8:54 AM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 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 Upala 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Upala

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 Upala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in 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 $2,146 in Upala 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: $721 in Phuket versus $796 in Upala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $981 in Upala. 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 $55 in Upala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.