Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro, Costa Rica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,712 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in San Pedro versus $1,278 in Phuket.

San Pedro $1,712
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in San Pedro versus $2,216 in Phuket.

San Pedro $2,640
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,569 in San Pedro versus $3,154 in Phuket.

San Pedro $3,569
Phuket $3,154

Living in San Pedro is roughly 34% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pedro is 26% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,479

$4.47 ฿151

172.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$32.41 ฿1,092

86.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,152

$8.81 ฿297

30.08%

Cappuccino

$4.51 ₡2,028

$2.83 ฿95.3

59.36%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$0.87 ฿29.37

217.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡833

$0.49 ฿16.64

277.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,494

$2.56 ฿86.2

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,029

$3.68 ฿124

22.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.66 ฿55.9

46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,376

$1.46 ฿49.25

109.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$1.50 ฿50.4

62.67%

Eggs

$3.42 ₡1,537

$2.09 ฿70.4

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,864

$19.07 ฿642

-43.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₡4,699

$3.30 ฿111

216.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,401

$10.91 ฿368

30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,291

$2.93 ฿98.7

73.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡716

$1.69 ฿56.9

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,110

$2.25 ฿75.7

108.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,761

$2.08 ฿70.0

88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$1.51 ฿50.9

156.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,609

$1.38 ฿46.47

159.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.07 ฿35.91

3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₡1,412

$0.52 ฿17.49

503.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 ₡2,723

$4.20 ฿142

44.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.94 ₡8,968

$18.79 ฿633

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,306

$1.82 ฿61.4

59.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,632

$2.84 ฿95.7

27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡596

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,111

$3.02 ฿102

-18.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.02 ฿34.29

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,811

$3.69 ฿124

129.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.47 ฿49.70

6.80%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

26.10%

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

$41.8K ₡18.8M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

56.63%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$96.4 ฿3,247

0.11%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$11.26 ฿380

222.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.2K

$16.85 ฿568

245.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 ₡28.4K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-6.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ₡3,443

$7.50 ฿253

2.13%

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

$993 ₡446.5K

$476 ฿16.0K

108.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

53.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡32.6K

$62.4 ฿2,102

16.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$28.41 ฿957

94.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$94.3 ฿3,178

38.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.7K

$85.8 ฿2,892

54.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡367.0K

$716 ฿24.1K

14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡278.6K

$491 ฿16.5K

26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 ₡972.6K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

12.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 ₡491.3K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-23.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 San Pedro: 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

San Pedro

$620 36.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 20.8% $129

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$402 23.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.7% $135

Eating Out

San Pedro

$230 13.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$176 10.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$78 4.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 4.9% $3.8

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 352% $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 $816 in San Pedro and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in San Pedro vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

16:14 4:14 PM

13 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

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 = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Pedro Phuket 18,020 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 25% 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 $2,568 in San Pedro 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: $816 in San Pedro versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $993 in San Pedro 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 $61 in San Pedro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,712 in San Pedro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in San Pedro. 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.