Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Thailand 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Thailand is 29.4% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Thailand is 29.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Thailand are 29.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Thailand are 50.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Thailand are 25.0% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Thailand is 5.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (320.81 ฿) |
1,558.53 ₡ (100.00 ฿) |
-68.8 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (1,924.89 ฿) |
14,026.78 ₡ (900.00 ฿) |
-53.2 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (320.81 ฿) |
3,428.77 ₡ (220.00 ฿) |
-31.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (96.24 ฿) |
1,090.97 ₡ (70.00 ฿) |
-27.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,289.73 ₡ (146.92 ฿) |
1,870.24 ₡ (120.00 ฿) |
-18.3 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
2,006.41 ₡ (128.74 ฿) |
1,091.23 ₡ (70.02 ฿) |
-45.6 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,090.08 ₡ (69.94 ฿) |
354.32 ₡ (22.73 ฿) |
-67.5 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
848.73 ₡ (54.46 ฿) |
169.85 ₡ (10.90 ฿) |
-80.0 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,863.46 ₡ (247.89 ฿) |
3,589.92 ₡ (230.34 ฿) |
-7.1 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,449.85 ₡ (93.03 ฿) |
639.35 ₡ (41.02 ฿) |
-55.9 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
566.54 ₡ (36.35 ฿) |
299.89 ₡ (19.24 ฿) |
-47.1 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.06 ₡ (109.91 ฿) |
1,083.43 ₡ (69.52 ฿) |
-36.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,059.25 ₡ (132.13 ฿) |
3,984.55 ₡ (255.66 ฿) |
+93.5 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,121.18 ₡ (136.10 ฿) |
675.29 ₡ (43.33 ฿) |
-68.2 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,043.27 ₡ (195.27 ฿) |
2,420.06 ₡ (155.28 ฿) |
-20.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,030.14 ₡ (66.10 ฿) |
693.89 ₡ (44.52 ฿) |
-32.6 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
368.20 ₡ (23.62 ฿) |
312.33 ₡ (20.04 ฿) |
-15.2 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
706.62 ₡ (45.34 ฿) |
473.71 ₡ (30.39 ฿) |
-33.0 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
681.78 ₡ (43.74 ฿) |
377.66 ₡ (24.23 ฿) |
-44.6 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
671.27 ₡ (43.07 ฿) |
351.07 ₡ (22.53 ฿) |
-47.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
627.74 ₡ (40.28 ฿) |
298.46 ₡ (19.15 ฿) |
-52.5 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
509.37 ₡ (32.68 ฿) |
584.32 ₡ (37.49 ฿) |
+14.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,260.31 ₡ (80.87 ฿) |
260.02 ₡ (16.68 ฿) |
-79.4 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (513.30 ฿) |
9,351.18 ₡ (600.00 ฿) |
+16.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,163.40 ₡ (74.65 ฿) |
908.02 ₡ (58.26 ฿) |
-22.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,389.37 ₡ (89.15 ฿) |
1,538.97 ₡ (98.74 ฿) |
+10.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (160.41 ฿) |
2,259.87 ₡ (145.00 ฿) |
-9.6 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (32.08 ฿) |
389.63 ₡ (25.00 ฿) |
-22.1 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (1,604.07 ฿) |
17,923.10 ₡ (1,150.00 ฿) |
-28.3 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
920.00 ₡ (59.03 ฿) |
584.45 ₡ (37.50 ฿) |
-36.5 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,569.11 ₡ (100.68 ฿) |
1,003.29 ₡ (64.37 ฿) |
-36.1 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (246.71 ฿) |
3,117.06 ₡ (200.00 ฿) |
-18.9 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,825.94 ₡ (181.32 ฿) |
2,453.83 ₡ (157.44 ฿) |
-13.2 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,450,000.00 ₡ (1,183,807.24 ฿) |
14,845,005.51 ₡ (952,500.00 ฿) |
-19.5 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,660,636.28 ₡ (1,133,159.30 ฿) |
14,332,078.59 ₡ (919,589.07 ฿) |
-18.8 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
43,745.81 ₡ (2,806.86 ฿) |
41,204.18 ₡ (2,643.78 ฿) |
-5.8 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,964.61 ₡ (831.85 ฿) |
7,005.91 ₡ (449.52 ฿) |
-46.0 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,333.59 ₡ (1,753.81 ฿) |
9,042.13 ₡ (580.17 ฿) |
-66.9 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
29,281.51 ₡ (1,878.79 ฿) |
25,646.07 ₡ (1,645.53 ฿) |
-12.4 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
14,522.18 ₡ (931.79 ฿) |
5,147.50 ₡ (330.28 ฿) |
-64.6 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,500.00 ₡ (288.73 ฿) |
3,740.47 ₡ (240.00 ฿) |
-16.9 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
277,090.27 ₡ (17,778.94 ฿) |
204,763.31 ₡ (13,138.23 ฿) |
-26.1 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
5,052,035.91 ₡ (324,153.75 ฿) |
6,352,623.09 ₡ (407,603.32 ฿) |
+25.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,709.29 ₡ (2,355.38 ฿) |
24,524.53 ₡ (1,573.57 ฿) |
-33.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,762.93 ₡ (1,781.35 ฿) |
17,070.58 ₡ (1,095.30 ฿) |
-38.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
60,950.37 ₡ (3,910.76 ฿) |
47,786.62 ₡ (3,066.13 ฿) |
-21.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,464.54 ₡ (3,430.44 ฿) |
38,891.93 ₡ (2,495.42 ฿) |
-27.3 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
394,155.88 ₡ (25,290.22 ฿) |
248,211.70 ₡ (15,926.01 ฿) |
-37.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,748.91 ₡ (17,051.25 ฿) |
139,575.60 ₡ (8,955.59 ฿) |
-47.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
737,385.51 ₡ (47,312.86 ฿) |
617,515.33 ₡ (39,621.63 ฿) |
-16.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
507,821.23 ₡ (32,583.33 ฿) |
339,013.93 ₡ (21,752.15 ฿) |
-33.2 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
120,687.25 ₡ (7,743.66 ฿) |
194,168.82 ₡ (12,458.45 ฿) |
+60.9 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
65,882.45 ₡ (4,227.22 ฿) |
103,456.89 ₡ (6,638.10 ฿) |
+57.0 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Thailand Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
506,764.76 ₡ (32,515.54 ฿) |
338,091.98 ₡ (21,692.99 ฿) |
-33.3 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.53 | 5.73 | -45.6 % |
| Last update: | 22 May 2025 | 25 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 122 | 607 |
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