Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-hawiyah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,081 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Al-hawiyah $1,081
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,603 in Al-hawiyah versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Al-hawiyah $1,603
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Al-hawiyah versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Al-hawiyah $2,125
Phuket $2,867

Living in Al-hawiyah costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-hawiyah 20% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 SAR 16.67

$4.58 ฿153

-3.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 SAR 99.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

-18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 SAR 25.93

$8.55 ฿286

-19.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$2.72 ฿91.0

-3.31%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$0.94 ฿31.25

-25.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.49 ฿16.39

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.74 ฿58.1

5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 SAR 3.60

$1.43 ฿47.82

-32.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$1.53 ฿51.0

43.79%

Eggs

$2.68 SAR 10.04

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.85 SAR 21.94

$19.15 ฿640

-69.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 SAR 43.90

$3.30 ฿110

254.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 SAR 49.22

$11.14 ฿372

17.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.64

$2.95 ฿98.5

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.68 ฿56.1

-5.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.88

$2.30 ฿76.8

-20.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

$2.13 ฿71.3

-30.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.53 ฿51.1

-15.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.63

$1.36 ฿45.55

10.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SAR 4.09

$1.12 ฿37.44

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 SAR 2.77

$0.55 ฿18.24

34.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$4.26 ฿142

87.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$2.22 ฿74.1

-50.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.82 SAR 138

$22.06 ฿737

66.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$2.91 ฿97.3

-16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 SAR 10.10

$1.01 ฿33.79

166.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.67

$3.83 ฿128

245.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.23

$1.49 ฿49.85

-60.40%

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

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

64.46%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-19.36%

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

$67.1 SAR 252

$99.4 ฿3,321

-32.48%

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

$35.32 SAR 133

$11.28 ฿377

213.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 SAR 235

$17.36 ฿580

260.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.6 SAR 302

$52.3 ฿1,747

54.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 SAR 56.6

$7.57 ฿253

99.34%

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

$423 SAR 1,586

$558 ฿18.7K

-24.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-31.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$62.9 ฿2,102

-79.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 SAR 209

$28.58 ฿955

95.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.45 SAR 152

$96.1 ฿3,213

-57.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.5 SAR 197

$88.1 ฿2,943

-40.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$729 ฿24.4K

-21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 SAR 1,375

$460 ฿15.4K

-20.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,098

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 SAR 2,166

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-52.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 SAR 9,023

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-30.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 SAR 5,158

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-44.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 25.5% $94

Groceries & Markets

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 23.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 22.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 39.1% $43

Eating Out

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 32.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 70.4% $51

Getting Around

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 31.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $576 in Al-hawiyah and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Al-hawiyah vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $268 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

4 h ahead of Al-hawiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,151

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-hawiyah Phuket 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-hawiyah
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

Al-hawiyah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-hawiyah and Phuket differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,081 vs $1,207 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,621 in Al-hawiyah and $1,811 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: $576 in Al-hawiyah versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,081 per month in Al-hawiyah versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-hawiyah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al-hawiyah 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.

Safety-wise, Al-hawiyah and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.