Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,207 in Phuket.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,037 in Phuket.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,307 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,867 in Phuket.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Phuket $2,867

Living in San Juan del Sur costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan del Sur 22% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$4.58 ฿153

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$32.48 ฿1,086

4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$8.55 ฿286

-34.85%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$2.72 ฿91.0

-5.88%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$0.94 ฿31.25

-8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$0.49 ฿16.39

38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$2.59 ฿86.6

-43.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$3.83 ฿128

-41.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$1.74 ฿58.1

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$1.43 ฿47.82

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$1.53 ฿51.0

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$2.17 ฿72.7

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$19.15 ฿640

-59.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$3.30 ฿110

86.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$11.14 ฿372

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$2.95 ฿98.5

38.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.68 ฿56.1

-63.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.30 ฿76.8

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$2.13 ฿71.3

15.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$1.53 ฿51.1

103.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$1.36 ฿45.55

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$1.12 ฿37.44

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$0.55 ฿18.24

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$4.26 ฿142

-35.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$18.19 ฿608

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.74 ฿58.2

-18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$2.79 ฿93.3

-21.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$2.91 ฿97.3

-45.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$1.01 ฿33.79

62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$3.83 ฿128

79.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-14.36%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-0.12%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$99.4 ฿3,321

-38.85%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$11.28 ฿377

-8.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$17.36 ฿580

90.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$52.3 ฿1,747

-41.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$7.57 ฿253

21.93%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$558 ฿18.7K

-58.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-46.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$62.9 ฿2,102

-2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$28.58 ฿955

131.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$96.1 ฿3,213

27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$88.1 ฿2,943

65.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$729 ฿24.4K

-41.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$460 ฿15.4K

-14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-55.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-34.76%

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)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$493 ฿16.5K

-29.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.57

114.00%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 17% $67

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 19% $43

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 30.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 23% $24

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 22.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37.7% $18

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 296% $29

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 $423 in San Juan del Sur and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 43% 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: $34.00 in San Juan del Sur vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $268, with San Juan del Sur cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

13 h ahead of San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

79,308

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 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 NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan del Sur Phuket 17,840 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan del Sur
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

San Juan del Sur vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan del Sur is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $233 in San Juan del Sur versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan del Sur – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Juan del Sur but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan del Sur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Juan del Sur is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Juan del Sur 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 San Juan del Sur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.