Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in San Juan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Juan $2,500
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,548 in San Juan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Juan $3,548
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,596 in San Juan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Juan $4,596
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Juan is roughly 96% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan is 84% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$4.47 ฿151

320.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

152.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$8.81 ฿297

4.77%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$2.83 ฿95.4

26.15%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$0.87 ฿29.40

110.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.49 ฿16.65

208.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.56 ฿86.3

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.68 ฿124

33.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.66 ฿55.9

30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.46 ฿49.29

150.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.50 ฿50.5

63.33%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$2.09 ฿70.5

249.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$19.07 ฿643

-35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$3.30 ฿111

193.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$10.91 ฿368

22.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.93 ฿98.8

69.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.69 ฿57.0

56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.25 ฿75.7

118.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.08 ฿70.0

129.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.51 ฿51.0

144.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.38 ฿46.51

179.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.07 ฿35.95

221.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.52 ฿17.50

217.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.20 ฿142

180.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$18.79 ฿634

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.82 ฿61.4

72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.84 ฿95.8

38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.45 ฿48.97

-46.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

$56.7 ฿1,911

-46.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.02 ฿102

-19.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.02 ฿34.32

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$3.69 ฿124

1040.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.47 ฿49.75

-19.73%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

29.91%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

4.99%

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

$320 $320

$96.4 ฿3,250

232.00%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$11.26 ฿380

506.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$16.85 ฿568

322.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$67.2 ฿2,268

-38.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

$10.73 ฿362

-31.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$7.50 ฿253

39.07%

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

$836 $836

$476 ฿16.1K

75.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

10.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$62.4 ฿2,103

-8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$28.41 ฿958

116.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$94.3 ฿3,180

16.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$85.8 ฿2,894

33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$716 ฿24.1K

170.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$491 ฿16.6K

125.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,515 $3,515

$1,927 ฿65.0K

82.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,431 ฿48.3K

12.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,447 $7,447

$4,175 ฿140.8K

78.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,654 $4,654

$3,045 ฿102.7K

52.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

$502 ฿16.9K

441.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.7% $618

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 72.9% $335

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.7% $148

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.9% $137

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 32.8% $20

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 62.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,934 in San Juan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in San Juan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

11 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Phuket 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in San Juan is about 5.4 times higher, 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: $1,934 in San Juan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $836 in San Juan versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in San Juan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,500 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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 San Juan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, San Juan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.