Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,487 in Al Khobar versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Al Khobar $1,487
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Al Khobar versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Al Khobar $2,252
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Al Khobar versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Al Khobar $3,016
Phuket $3,154

Living in Al Khobar is roughly 16% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Khobar is 9% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 SAR 25.57

$4.47 ฿151

52.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 SAR 225

$32.41 ฿1,093

84.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.01

$8.81 ฿297

-9.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Cappuccino

$4.43 SAR 16.64

$2.83 ฿95.4

56.54%

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

$0.87 SAR 3.26

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$0.49 ฿16.65

-18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.76

$1.46 ฿49.31

-13.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 SAR 9.53

$1.50 ฿50.5

69.33%

Eggs

$2.45 SAR 9.21

$2.09 ฿70.5

17.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 SAR 27.33

$19.07 ฿643

-61.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 SAR 38.14

$3.30 ฿111

207.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.86 SAR 44.50

$10.91 ฿368

8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$2.93 ฿98.9

-9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.66

$2.25 ฿75.8

-9.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$2.08 ฿70.0

-15.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.27

$1.51 ฿51.0

-7.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SAR 6.20

$1.38 ฿46.52

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

$1.07 ฿35.96

63.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.18

$0.52 ฿17.51

11.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 SAR 25.31

$4.20 ฿142

60.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 SAR 3.55

$1.45 ฿48.98

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 SAR 232

$56.7 ฿1,912

9.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 SAR 10.88

$3.02 ฿102

-3.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SAR 9.89

$1.02 ฿34.33

158.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 SAR 24.68

$3.69 ฿125

78.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$1.47 ฿49.76

-56.46%

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

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

153.27%

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

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-19.14%

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

$99.4 SAR 373

$96.4 ฿3,251

3.13%

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

$33.37 SAR 125

$11.26 ฿380

196.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 SAR 259

$16.85 ฿568

308.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 SAR 305

$67.2 ฿2,268

20.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.86 SAR 138

$10.73 ฿362

243.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 SAR 57.3

$7.50 ฿253

103.47%

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

$607 SAR 2,279

$476 ฿16.1K

27.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-24.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 SAR 238

$62.4 ฿2,104

1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.3 SAR 309

$28.41 ฿958

189.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 SAR 367

$94.3 ฿3,181

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 SAR 354

$85.8 ฿2,895

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 SAR 2,876

$716 ฿24.2K

7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,189

$491 ฿16.6K

18.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 SAR 4,678

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 SAR 3,401

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-36.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 SAR 5,464

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-65.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 SAR 4,025

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-64.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,877 SAR 7,045

$502 ฿16.9K

273.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

5.57

5.57%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: 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

Al Khobar

$583 39.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.9% $93

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$220 14.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 21.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 13.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 38.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.8% $30

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$137 9.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$112 7.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.5% $30

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$82 5.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 13.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $766 in Al Khobar and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $266, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

02:50 2:50 AM

4 h ahead of Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Khobar Phuket 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Al Khobar is about 3.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $766 in Al Khobar versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 8% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $607 in Al Khobar versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Khobar and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Al Khobar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.