Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abuja and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $991 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Abuja versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Abuja $991
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,872 in Abuja versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Abuja $1,872
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,753 in Abuja versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Abuja $2,753
Phuket $3,154

Living in Abuja costs roughly 22% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Abuja 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₦2,611

$4.47 ฿151

-56.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.33 ₦40.8K

$32.41 ฿1,093

-6.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₦5,483

$8.81 ฿297

-53.69%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ₦4,415

$2.83 ฿95.4

15.90%

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

$0.43 ₦575

$0.87 ฿29.41

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₦959

$0.49 ฿16.65

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,306

$2.56 ฿86.3

-62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₦2,656

$3.68 ฿124

-46.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 ₦4,830

$1.66 ฿55.9

116.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₦1,737

$1.46 ฿49.31

-11.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 ₦3,058

$1.50 ฿50.5

51.33%

Eggs

$1.81 ₦2,428

$2.09 ฿70.5

-13.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₦14.9K

$19.07 ฿643

-41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 ₦7,189

$3.30 ฿111

62.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.82 ₦7,822

$10.91 ฿368

-46.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₦2,785

$2.93 ฿98.9

-29.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦2,013

$1.69 ฿57.0

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,046

$2.25 ฿75.8

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₦3,078

$2.08 ฿70.0

10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₦2,401

$1.51 ฿51.0

18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ₦3,335

$1.38 ฿46.52

79.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₦797

$1.07 ฿35.96

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦528

$0.52 ฿17.51

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 ₦2,633

$4.20 ฿142

-53.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₦7,845

$18.79 ฿634

-68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₦1,610

$1.82 ฿61.5

-34.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₦2,492

$2.84 ฿95.8

-34.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₦622

$1.45 ฿48.98

-68.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.58 ₦43.8K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-42.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₦826

$3.02 ฿102

-79.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₦1,090

$1.02 ฿34.33

-20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,482

$3.69 ฿125

-49.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₦768

$1.47 ฿49.76

-61.22%

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

$26.1K ₦35.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-2.49%

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

$37.3K ₦50.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

39.84%

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

$110 ₦148.3K

$96.4 ฿3,251

14.44%

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

$6.48 ₦8,717

$11.26 ฿380

-42.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 ₦39.2K

$16.85 ฿568

72.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 ₦34.6K

$67.2 ฿2,268

-61.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₦12.9K

$10.73 ฿362

-10.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ₦8,485

$7.50 ฿253

-15.87%

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

$44.68 ₦60.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

-90.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,103 ₦4.2M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-72.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 ₦35.0K

$62.4 ฿2,104

-58.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 ₦81.7K

$28.41 ฿958

113.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₦102.9K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ₦141.8K

$85.8 ฿2,895

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₦792.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₦467.4K

$491 ฿16.6K

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 ₦1.9M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-27.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 ₦1.8M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-5.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$699 ₦940.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-83.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$378 ₦508.7K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-87.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₦218.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

-67.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

5.57

303.95%

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

Last update for Abuja: 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

Abuja

$348 35.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 41.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Abuja

$218 22%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abuja

$146 14.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 14.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Abuja

$121 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Abuja

$81 8.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 51.1% $41

Getting Around

Abuja

$39 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 80.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Abuja

$38 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 114% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Abuja and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Abuja vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $266 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Abuja

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

6 h ahead of Abuja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

776,298 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abuja Phuket 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Abuja
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

Abuja vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $991 in Abuja and $1,278 in Phuket, so Abuja is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Abuja. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Abuja versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $991 per month in Abuja versus $1,278 in Phuket – Abuja is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 42% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $991 in Abuja versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja 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.

Expats usually find Abuja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.