Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upala and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,439 in Upala, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
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Upala Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,439

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Upala versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Upala $1,439
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Upala versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Upala $2,252
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,065 in Upala versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Upala $3,065
Phuket $3,154

Living in Upala is roughly 13% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,565

$4.47 ฿151

176.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.41 ฿1,092

66.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 ₡5,158

$8.81 ฿297

30.19%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₡1,650

$2.83 ฿95.3

29.68%

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

$1.75 ₡786

$0.87 ฿29.37

101.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₡786

$0.49 ฿16.64

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,519

$2.56 ฿86.2

32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,989

$3.68 ฿124

20.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₡980

$1.66 ฿55.9

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ₡730

$1.46 ฿49.25

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,081

$1.50 ฿50.4

60.00%

Eggs

$2.70 ₡1,212

$2.09 ฿70.4

29.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,492

$19.07 ฿642

-82.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 ₡3,035

$3.30 ฿111

104.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 ₡3,959

$10.91 ฿368

-19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ₡780

$2.93 ฿98.7

-40.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 ₡302

$1.69 ฿56.9

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ₡1,301

$2.25 ฿75.7

28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,218

$2.08 ฿70.0

30.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,673

$1.51 ฿50.9

146.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 ₡1,221

$1.38 ฿46.47

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.07 ฿35.91

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,163

$0.52 ฿17.49

398.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,591

$4.20 ฿142

37.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 ₡3,973

$18.79 ฿633

-53.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,208

$1.82 ฿61.4

47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.84 ฿95.7

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₡652

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,065

$3.02 ฿102

-21.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡694

$1.02 ฿34.29

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 ₡2,895

$3.69 ฿124

74.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡641

$1.47 ฿49.70

-3.40%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

25.56%

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

$41.4K ₡18.6M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

55.16%

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

$56.9 ₡25.6K

$96.4 ฿3,247

-40.97%

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

$35.83 ₡16.1K

$11.26 ฿380

218.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.24 ₡10.0K

$16.85 ฿568

31.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡29.9K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-1.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,499

$7.50 ฿253

3.73%

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

$969 ₡435.8K

$476 ฿16.0K

103.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

50.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.78 ₡14.7K

$62.4 ฿2,102

-47.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.09 ₡9,936

$28.41 ฿957

-22.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.7K

$94.3 ฿3,178

38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.23 ₡14.9K

$85.8 ฿2,892

-61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 ₡386.0K

$716 ฿24.1K

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₡294.3K

$491 ฿16.5K

33.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 ₡794.4K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-8.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 ₡547.9K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-14.83%

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 Upala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upala

$654 45.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 25% $164

Groceries & Markets

Upala

$257 17.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.7% $9.6

Eating Out

Upala

$217 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upala

$115 8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 8.3% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Upala

$98 6.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Upala

$82 5.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Upala

$16 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 345% $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 $858 in Upala and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54 in Upala vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $266, with Upala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Upala

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

13 h ahead of Upala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

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 = 2.65 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 = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Upala Phuket 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Upala
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

Upala vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,159 in Upala 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: $858 in Upala versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $969 in Upala 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 $54 in Upala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.