Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
Learn more

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,398 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,200 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200
Phuket $2,867

Living in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is roughly 32% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 18% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 ₡5,353

$4.58 ฿153

160.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.58 ₡20.0K

$32.48 ฿1,086

37.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,855

$8.55 ฿286

26.55%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₡1,808

$2.72 ฿91.0

48.16%

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

$2.38 ₡1,067

$0.94 ฿31.25

153.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡819

$0.49 ฿16.39

273.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$2.59 ฿86.6

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₡1,800

$3.83 ฿128

4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡931

$1.74 ฿58.1

19.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,418

$1.43 ฿47.82

120.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,089

$1.53 ฿51.0

58.82%

Eggs

$3.07 ₡1,378

$2.17 ฿72.7

41.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 ₡2,942

$19.15 ฿640

-65.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,479

$3.30 ฿110

135.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,350

$11.14 ฿372

27.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₡1,161

$2.95 ฿98.5

-12.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.68 ฿56.1

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₡576

$2.30 ฿76.8

-43.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 ₡781

$2.13 ฿71.3

-18.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,165

$1.53 ฿51.1

69.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₡881

$1.36 ฿45.55

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₡311

$1.12 ฿37.44

-38.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₡898

$0.55 ฿18.24

263.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₡1,398

$4.26 ฿142

-26.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ₡6,773

$18.19 ฿608

-16.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$1.74 ฿58.2

64.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$2.79 ฿93.3

32.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$2.22 ฿74.1

-41.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

$22.06 ฿737

95.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡825

$2.91 ฿97.3

-36.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.01 ฿33.79

52.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,814

$3.83 ฿128

121.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.49 ฿49.85

0.67%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-16.54%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

31.22%

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

$95.5 ₡42.8K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-3.85%

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

$35.40 ₡15.9K

$11.28 ฿377

213.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 ₡14.7K

$17.36 ฿580

89.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 ₡33.0K

$52.3 ฿1,747

40.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,458

$7.57 ฿253

1.85%

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

$972 ₡435.8K

$558 ฿18.7K

74.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

48.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 ₡29.0K

$62.9 ฿2,102

2.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 ₡11.6K

$28.58 ฿955

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 ₡43.5K

$96.1 ฿3,213

0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ₡24.4K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-38.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₡309.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₡295.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

43.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 ₡888.2K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-5.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₡508.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-7.17%

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)

$976 ₡437.6K

$493 ฿16.5K

97.89%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 30.2% $199

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 10.6% $32

Eating Out

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 44.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 21.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 24.2% $22

Getting Around

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 32.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 98% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

15:52 3:52 PM

13 h ahead of Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Phuket 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, 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: $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Phuket 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 32% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.