Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,030 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Adama, Ethiopia
Phuket, Thailand
Adama
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$1,030
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,030 per month in Adama vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Adama $1,030
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Adama vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Adama $1,702
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Adama vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Adama $2,374
  • Phuket $3,154

Adama is about 19% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Adama and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Adama 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.06 ETB 492
$4.47 ฿151
-31.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.00 ETB 6,919
$32.41 ฿1,093
32.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 ETB 801
$8.81 ฿297
-43.47%
Cappuccino
$0.90 ETB 144
$2.83 ฿95.4
-68.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ETB 93.8
$0.87 ฿29.41
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ETB 50.5
$0.49 ฿16.65
-36.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.83 ETB 134
$2.56 ฿86.3
-67.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 ETB 372
$3.68 ฿124
-37.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.77 ETB 124
$1.66 ฿55.9
-53.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 ETB 188
$1.46 ฿49.31
-19.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ETB 353
$1.50 ฿50.5
46.67%
Eggs
$1.80 ETB 289
$2.09 ฿70.5
-13.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.35 ETB 1,183
$19.07 ฿643
-61.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.09 ETB 1,624
$3.30 ฿111
205.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.40 ETB 1,513
$10.91 ฿368
-13.84%
Apples (1kg)
$5.51 ETB 887
$2.93 ฿98.9
88.05%
Banana (1kg)
$0.69 ETB 111
$1.69 ฿57.0
-59.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 ETB 344
$2.25 ฿75.8
-4.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.70 ETB 113
$2.08 ฿70.0
-66.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.50 ETB 80.9
$1.51 ฿51.0
-66.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ETB 175
$1.38 ฿46.52
-21.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 ETB 111
$1.07 ฿35.96
-35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ETB 91.2
$0.52 ฿17.51
9.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.88 ETB 1,268
$4.20 ฿142
87.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.78 ETB 931
$18.79 ฿634
-69.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 ETB 113
$1.82 ฿61.5
-61.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 ETB 206
$2.84 ฿95.8
-54.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Adama
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿48.98
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ETB 206
$3.02 ฿102
-57.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ETB 42.87
$1.02 ฿34.33
-73.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.03 ETB 326
$3.69 ฿125
-44.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 ETB 145
$1.47 ฿49.76
-38.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.8K ETB 9.0M
$26.8K ฿903.4K
108.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.3K ETB 8.9M
$26.7K ฿900.5K
107.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ETB 33.1K
$96.4 ฿3,251
113.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.50 ETB 1,206
$11.26 ฿380
-33.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$215 ETB 34.6K
$16.85 ฿568
1176.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.83 ETB 617
$7.50 ฿253
-48.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$611 ETB 98.2K
$476 ฿16.1K
28.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.5K ETB 4.9M
$11.3K ฿380.0K
170.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.75 ETB 5,270
$62.4 ฿2,104
-47.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.3 ETB 11.6K
$28.41 ฿958
154.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ETB 12.9K
$94.3 ฿3,181
-15.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.3 ETB 13.2K
$85.8 ฿2,895
-4.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Adama
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$352 ETB 56.6K
$716 ฿24.2K
-50.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$198 ETB 31.9K
$491 ฿16.6K
-59.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 ETB 157.7K
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-49.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$815 ETB 131.1K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-43.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Adama
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$98.7 ETB 15.9K
$502 ฿16.9K
-80.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
18.5
5.57
232.14%

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

Last update for Adama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Adama
$428
Phuket
$124 70.9% $304
Groceries & Markets
Adama
$211
Phuket
$266 26.3% $56
Accommodation & Living
Adama
$198
Phuket
$491 148% $293
Clothing & Footwear
Adama
$120
Phuket
$122 1.4% $1.7
Eating Out
Adama
$63
Phuket
$122 94.6% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Adama
$7.7 *
Phuket
$82 972% $75
Getting Around
Adama
$2.6 *
Phuket
$71 2604% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Adama versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Adama vs $266 in Phuket – so Adama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇹 Adama
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
03:45 3:45 AM
07:45 7:45 AM
4 h ahead of Adama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
228,623
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Adama Phuket 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Adama
  • 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
Adama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Adama and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,030 in Adama, $1,278 in Phuket – Adama comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Adama compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,545 per month in Adama and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Adama and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How far does $2,000 go in Adama compared to Phuket?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,030 in Adama and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Adama and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,030 in Adama to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Adama and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Adama. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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