Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tibas and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,724 in Tibas, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,724

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,724 in Tibas versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tibas $1,724
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,646 in Tibas versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tibas $2,646
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,567 in Tibas versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tibas $3,567
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tibas is roughly 35% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tibas is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 ₡5,510

$4.47 ฿151

173.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 ₡15.6K

$32.41 ฿1,092

6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ₡4,930

$8.81 ฿297

23.95%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,760

$2.83 ฿95.3

37.81%

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

$2.37 ₡1,071

$0.87 ฿29.37

172.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡859

$0.49 ฿16.64

287.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 ₡1,263

$2.56 ฿86.2

9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,020

$3.68 ฿124

21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$1.66 ฿55.9

43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,391

$1.46 ฿49.25

110.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 ₡1,139

$1.50 ฿50.4

68.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,614

$2.09 ฿70.4

70.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 ₡4,819

$19.07 ฿642

-44.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 ₡4,785

$3.30 ฿111

221.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 ₡6,357

$10.91 ฿368

29.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ₡2,247

$2.93 ฿98.7

69.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.69 ฿56.9

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,117

$2.25 ฿75.7

108.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,740

$2.08 ฿70.0

85.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,689

$1.51 ฿50.9

147.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,633

$1.38 ฿46.47

162.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.07 ฿35.91

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,444

$0.52 ฿17.49

515.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,739

$4.20 ฿142

44.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.22 ₡9,127

$18.79 ฿633

7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,303

$1.82 ฿61.4

58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₡1,678

$2.84 ฿95.7

30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡586

$1.45 ฿48.93

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$3.02 ฿102

-20.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.02 ฿34.29

57.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ₡3,898

$3.69 ฿124

133.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡710

$1.47 ฿49.70

6.80%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

29.20%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

55.43%

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

$95.9 ₡43.3K

$96.4 ฿3,247

-0.47%

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

$35.33 ₡15.9K

$11.26 ฿380

213.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$16.85 ฿568

249.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 ₡31.0K

$67.2 ฿2,266

2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$7.50 ฿253

5.07%

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

$972 ₡438.8K

$476 ฿16.0K

104.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.9M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

54.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡31.9K

$62.4 ฿2,102

13.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.4K

$28.41 ฿957

97.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$94.3 ฿3,178

34.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.3K

$85.8 ฿2,892

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 ₡367.6K

$716 ฿24.1K

13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.5K

$491 ฿16.5K

30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 ₡851.5K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-2.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₡559.6K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-13.35%

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)

$983 ₡443.8K

$502 ฿16.9K

95.70%

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 Tibas: 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

Tibas

$641 37.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23.4% $150

Groceries & Markets

Tibas

$402 23.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.8% $136

Eating Out

Tibas

$217 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tibas

$190 11%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Tibas

$173 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Tibas

$84 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 2.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Tibas

$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 $814 in Tibas and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tibas pays 96% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Tibas 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

🇨🇷 Tibas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

15:58 3:58 PM

13 h ahead of Tibas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,842

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 = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tibas Phuket 18,000 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Tibas
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

Tibas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Tibas, 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: $814 in Tibas versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in Tibas 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 $35 in Tibas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,724 in Tibas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tibas. 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.

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