Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Addis Ababa and in Phuket: $1,300 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Addis Ababa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Addis Ababa $1,300
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,914 in Addis Ababa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Addis Ababa $1,914
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Addis Ababa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Addis Ababa $2,528
Phuket $3,154

Monthly costs are close between Addis Ababa and Phuket; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Addis Ababa 4% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ETB 654

$4.47 ฿151

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.77 ETB 6,881

$32.41 ฿1,093

31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ETB 1,067

$8.81 ฿297

-24.74%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 141

$2.83 ฿95.4

-68.90%

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

$0.58 ETB 93.8

$0.87 ฿29.41

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$0.49 ฿16.65

30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ETB 124

$2.56 ฿86.3

-69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ETB 359

$3.68 ฿124

-39.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.66 ฿55.9

-35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ETB 186

$1.46 ฿49.31

-20.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 349

$1.50 ฿50.5

44.67%

Eggs

$1.79 ETB 287

$2.09 ฿70.5

-14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 ETB 1,209

$19.07 ฿643

-60.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ETB 1,654

$3.30 ฿111

211.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.49 ETB 1,527

$10.91 ฿368

-13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ETB 844

$2.93 ฿98.9

79.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 102

$1.69 ฿57.0

-62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ETB 341

$2.25 ฿75.8

-5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$2.08 ฿70.0

-68.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 81.0

$1.51 ฿51.0

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ETB 174

$1.38 ฿46.52

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.07 ฿35.96

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ETB 92.7

$0.52 ฿17.51

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 ETB 1,289

$4.20 ฿142

90.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 ETB 914

$18.79 ฿634

-69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.82 ฿61.5

-63.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$2.84 ฿95.8

-57.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ETB 82.6

$1.45 ฿48.98

-64.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.05 ETB 3,387

$56.7 ฿1,912

-62.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 208

$3.02 ฿102

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 47.28

$1.02 ฿34.33

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ETB 315

$3.69 ฿125

-46.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ETB 155

$1.47 ฿49.76

-34.69%

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

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

107.88%

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

$56.1K ETB 9.0M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

110.25%

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

$202 ETB 32.5K

$96.4 ฿3,251

109.82%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,206

$11.26 ฿380

-33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.3K

$16.85 ฿568

1165.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.97 ETB 7,236

$67.2 ฿2,268

-33.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.87 ETB 5,933

$10.73 ฿362

243.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.77 ETB 607

$7.50 ฿253

-49.73%

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

$633 ETB 101.9K

$476 ฿16.1K

33.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

171.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.81 ETB 5,279

$62.4 ฿2,104

-47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.5 ETB 11.2K

$28.41 ฿958

144.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ETB 12.5K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ETB 13.3K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 ETB 113.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 ETB 63.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-20.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 ETB 369.9K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

19.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ETB 124.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-45.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 ETB 318.0K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-52.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ETB 165.0K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-66.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

-60.13%

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 Addis Ababa: 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

Addis Ababa

$423 32.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 70.6% $298

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$392 30.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 25.3% $99

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$213 16.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$118 9.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$76 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$53 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 56.6% $30

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 173% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $707 in Addis Ababa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Addis Ababa vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $266, with Addis Ababa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

4 h ahead of Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

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

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Phuket 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
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

Addis Ababa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Addis Ababa. 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: $707 in Addis Ababa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 63% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Addis Ababa pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.