Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,530 in Santa Teresa, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Santa Teresa versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Santa Teresa $1,530
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,295 in Santa Teresa versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Santa Teresa $2,295
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,061 in Santa Teresa versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Santa Teresa $3,061
Phuket $3,115

Living in Santa Teresa is roughly 18% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Teresa is 13% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,459

$4.39 ฿147

125.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.1K

$32.31 ฿1,085

30.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,374

$8.70 ฿292

11.61%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,667

$2.72 ฿91.5

36.03%

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

$2.04 ₡917

$0.93 ฿31.25

119.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡735

$0.50 ฿16.78

226.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,366

$2.53 ฿85.0

19.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,048

$3.63 ฿122

25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡925

$1.74 ฿58.4

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,270

$1.45 ฿48.73

94.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡972

$1.50 ฿50.5

44.00%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,344

$2.17 ฿73.0

37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,509

$19.09 ฿641

-47.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,042

$3.40 ฿114

163.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,127

$10.90 ฿366

24.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,052

$2.94 ฿98.8

55.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡651

$1.69 ฿56.8

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,856

$2.19 ฿73.7

88.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$2.12 ฿71.4

44.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$1.46 ฿48.99

132.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,161

$1.37 ฿45.95

88.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡455

$1.08 ฿36.14

-6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,282

$0.55 ฿18.32

418.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,292

$4.43 ฿149

14.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,211

$18.25 ฿613

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$1.77 ฿59.5

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,179

$2.88 ฿96.8

-9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡433

$1.45 ฿48.62

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.51 ฿50.8

21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡826

$0.78 ฿26.06

134.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,580

$3.84 ฿129

107.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡659

$1.49 ฿49.96

-2.01%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

42.80%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

24.23%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$97.8 ฿3,285

-13.20%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$11.29 ฿379

131.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$17.19 ฿577

193.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$68.3 ฿2,295

-26.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.7K

$10.92 ฿367

116.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡4,004

$7.43 ฿250

19.65%

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

$573 ₡257.9K

$530 ฿17.8K

7.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-33.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$61.7 ฿2,072

0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$28.25 ฿949

81.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$96.0 ฿3,225

32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.0K

$86.8 ฿2,916

22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡318.2K

$721 ฿24.2K

-2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.6K

$509 ฿17.1K

16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡657.9K

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡430.0K

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-31.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

5.57

82.59%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 14% $83

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 23% $80

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 37.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 21.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 21.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 22.6% $15

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 345% $51

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 $706 in Santa Teresa and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in Santa Teresa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

15:51 3:51 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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 = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Phuket 18,030 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Teresa
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

Santa Teresa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 15% 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 $2,295 in Santa Teresa and $1,940 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: $706 in Santa Teresa versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Santa Teresa versus $530 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 $42 in Santa Teresa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,530 in Santa Teresa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Teresa. 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, Santa Teresa and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.