Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara, Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samara 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 Samara and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,032 in Samara versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Samara $2,032
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,533 in Samara versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Samara $3,533
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Samara versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Samara $5,034
Phuket $3,154

Living in Samara is roughly 59% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Samara is 49% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₡4,997

$4.47 ฿151

147.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡28.1K

$32.41 ฿1,094

91.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 ₡5,282

$8.81 ฿297

32.80%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$2.83 ฿95.4

53.36%

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

$2.72 ₡1,229

$0.87 ฿29.42

212.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡866

$0.49 ฿16.66

291.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,501

$2.56 ฿86.3

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,036

$3.68 ฿124

22.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,095

$1.66 ฿56.0

45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$1.46 ฿49.32

108.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,129

$1.50 ฿50.5

66.67%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,561

$2.09 ฿70.5

65.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$19.07 ฿643

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,736

$3.30 ฿111

217.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,885

$10.91 ฿368

-0.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 ₡2,263

$2.93 ฿98.9

70.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.69 ฿57.0

-2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ₡2,129

$2.25 ฿75.8

109.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,723

$2.08 ฿70.1

83.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.51 ฿51.0

146.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,665

$1.38 ฿46.54

167.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.07 ฿35.97

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,397

$0.52 ฿17.51

494.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$4.20 ฿142

32.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ₡8,513

$18.79 ฿634

0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,255

$1.82 ฿61.5

52.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,119

$2.84 ฿95.9

-12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡630

$1.45 ฿49.00

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$3.02 ฿102

-17.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.02 ฿34.34

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₡3,843

$3.69 ฿125

130.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.47 ฿49.78

3.40%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

28.15%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

54.50%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$96.4 ฿3,252

-2.46%

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

$35.45 ₡16.0K

$11.26 ฿380

214.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$16.85 ฿569

250.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.2K

$67.2 ฿2,269

-0.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$7.50 ฿253

5.07%

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

$502 ₡226.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

5.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 ₡2.7M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-46.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₡30.3K

$62.4 ฿2,105

7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡25.1K

$28.41 ฿959

95.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.4K

$94.3 ฿3,182

37.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$85.8 ฿2,896

54.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 ₡619.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

91.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 ₡436.4K

$491 ฿16.6K

96.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,769 ₡1.7M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

95.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 ₡1.2M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

82.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

18.68%

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samara

$967 47.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 49.2% $476

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$385 19%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.9% $119

Eating Out

Samara

$220 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 33.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$173 8.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$83 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 344% $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 $1,373 in Samara and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Samara vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

08:45 8:45 AM

13 h ahead of Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

79,308

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samara Phuket 17,990 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Samara
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

Samara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,048 in Samara 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: $1,373 in Samara versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $502 in Samara 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 Samara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,032 in Samara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Samara. 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, Samara and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.