Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,230 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,230 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,230
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,822 per month in Al-Ula vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,822
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,414 per month in Al-Ula vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Al-Ula $2,414
Phuket $3,115

Al-Ula is about 5% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al-Ula and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Al-Ula 9% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.49 SAR 28.12

$4.39 ฿147

70.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.71 SAR 142

$32.31 ฿1,078

16.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.94 SAR 29.80

$8.70 ฿290

-8.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

Cappuccino

$3.20 SAR 12.02

$2.72 ฿90.9

17.65%

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

$0.88 SAR 3.30

$0.93 ฿31.06

-5.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.50 ฿16.67

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 SAR 7.26

$1.74 ฿58.1

11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.64

$1.45 ฿48.42

-14.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$1.50 ฿50.1

56.67%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$2.17 ฿72.5

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 SAR 28.35

$19.09 ฿637

-60.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.29

$3.40 ฿113

137.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.55 SAR 47.10

$10.90 ฿364

15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 8.00

$2.94 ฿98.2

-27.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 SAR 5.73

$1.69 ฿56.5

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

$2.19 ฿73.2

-28.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

$2.12 ฿70.9

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.74

$1.46 ฿48.68

-13.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.37 ฿45.66

-6.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 SAR 4.77

$1.08 ฿35.91

17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.05

$0.55 ฿18.21

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 SAR 25.38

$4.43 ฿148

52.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.45 ฿48.32

-26.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.17 SAR 140

$54.9 ฿1,832

-32.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 SAR 9.96

$1.51 ฿50.5

75.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

$0.78 ฿25.90

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.08 SAR 60.3

$3.84 ฿128

318.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 SAR 2.58

$1.49 ฿49.65

-53.69%

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

$30.1K SAR 112.9K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

11.87%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-16.33%

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

$112 SAR 419

$97.8 ฿3,265

14.07%

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

$32.23 SAR 121

$11.29 ฿377

185.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 SAR 279

$17.19 ฿574

332.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.8 SAR 315

$68.3 ฿2,281

22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 SAR 52.2

$7.43 ฿248

87.08%

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

$460 SAR 1,728

$530 ฿17.7K

-13.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K SAR 41.3K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-41.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.58 SAR 141

$61.7 ฿2,059

-39.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 SAR 213

$28.25 ฿943

100.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 SAR 373

$96.0 ฿3,204

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 SAR 318

$86.8 ฿2,898

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 SAR 2,266

$721 ฿24.1K

-16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 SAR 1,474

$509 ฿17.0K

-22.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 SAR 3,379

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-53.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SAR 2,296

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-56.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,857 SAR 6,969

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-55.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 SAR 4,088

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-66.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-Ula

$393 31.9%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 29.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$218 17.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 42.1% $92

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$204 16.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 31% $63

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$127 10.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 5.7% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$125 10.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$112 9.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 25.5% $28

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$52 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 27.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $604 in Al-Ula versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Al-Ula versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Al-Ula vs $267 in Phuket – so Al-Ula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

06:55 6:55 AM

4 h ahead of Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

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 = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-Ula Phuket 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,230 in Al-Ula, $1,294 in Phuket – Al-Ula comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,845 per month in Al-Ula and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $460 per month in Al-Ula and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,230 in Al-Ula and $1,294 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al-Ula – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.