Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa Flamingo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa Flamingo and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa Flamingo and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Playa Flamingo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Playa Flamingo $1,686
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,670 in Playa Flamingo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Playa Flamingo $2,670
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,654 in Playa Flamingo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Playa Flamingo $3,654
Phuket $3,154

Living in Playa Flamingo is roughly 32% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa Flamingo is 24% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,314

$4.47 ฿151

163.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.1K

$32.41 ฿1,094

92.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 ₡4,463

$8.81 ฿297

12.26%

Cappuccino

$4.36 ₡1,968

$2.83 ฿95.5

54.06%

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

$2.74 ₡1,235

$0.87 ฿29.43

214.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.49 ฿16.67

275.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,479

$2.56 ฿86.4

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$3.68 ฿124

17.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡915

$1.66 ฿56.0

22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,406

$1.46 ฿49.35

113.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$1.50 ฿50.6

67.33%

Eggs

$3.05 ₡1,374

$2.09 ฿70.5

45.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,881

$19.07 ฿644

-43.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 ₡4,580

$3.30 ฿111

207.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 ₡5,327

$10.91 ฿368

8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 ₡2,380

$2.93 ฿99.0

79.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.69 ฿57.1

-6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ₡2,193

$2.25 ฿75.8

116.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,768

$2.08 ฿70.1

88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,739

$1.51 ฿51.0

154.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,632

$1.38 ฿46.56

162.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡459

$1.07 ฿35.99

-4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,396

$0.52 ฿17.52

494.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,296

$4.20 ฿142

21.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,176

$18.79 ฿634

8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$1.82 ฿61.5

52.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,658

$2.84 ฿95.9

29.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ₡627

$1.45 ฿49.03

-4.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,134

$3.02 ฿102

-16.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.02 ฿34.36

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,971

$3.69 ฿125

138.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.47 ฿49.81

4.76%

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

$34.0K ₡15.3M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

26.97%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

58.06%

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

$94.5 ₡42.6K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-1.94%

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

$20.06 ₡9,050

$11.26 ฿380

78.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.6K

$16.85 ฿569

249.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 ₡25.3K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-16.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 ₡4,475

$10.73 ฿362

-7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 ₡3,498

$7.50 ฿253

3.33%

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

$994 ₡448.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

108.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,017 ₡4.1M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-19.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡32.0K

$62.4 ฿2,106

13.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.4K

$28.41 ฿959

98.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$94.3 ฿3,184

37.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.6K

$85.8 ฿2,898

56.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 ₡723.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

124.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,962 ₡1.3M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

53.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 ₡568.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-11.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 ₡1.6M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-13.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Playa Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa Flamingo

$640 38%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23.3% $149

Groceries & Markets

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31.6% $123

Eating Out

Playa Flamingo

$220 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 28.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15% $11

Getting Around

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 346% $55

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 $1,604 in Playa Flamingo and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Playa Flamingo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

13 h ahead of Playa Flamingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa Flamingo Phuket 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa Flamingo
Phuket

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

Playa Flamingo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,528 in Playa Flamingo and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $1,604 in Playa Flamingo versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $994 in Playa Flamingo versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Playa Flamingo. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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