Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqaba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $916 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$916

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Aqaba vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Aqaba $916
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,507 per month in Aqaba vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Aqaba $1,507
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,098 per month in Aqaba vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Aqaba $2,098
Phuket $3,154

Aqaba is about 28% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aqaba and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Aqaba 33% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 JOD 1.95

$4.47 ฿151

-38.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 JOD 50.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

119.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 JOD 2.95

$8.81 ฿297

-52.67%

Cappuccino

$4.46 JOD 3.16

$2.83 ฿95.5

57.60%

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

$0.59 JOD 0.42

$0.87 ฿29.43

-32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 JOD 0.41

$0.49 ฿16.67

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 JOD 6.07

$2.56 ฿86.4

235.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.05 JOD 7.82

$3.68 ฿124

200.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 JOD 1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 JOD 0.33

$1.46 ฿49.35

-67.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 JOD 1.09

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.67%

Eggs

$1.73 JOD 1.22

$2.09 ฿70.5

-17.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.69 JOD 4.03

$19.07 ฿644

-70.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 JOD 2.97

$3.30 ฿111

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.65 JOD 6.83

$10.91 ฿368

-11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 JOD 0.99

$2.93 ฿99.0

-52.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 JOD 0.77

$2.25 ฿75.8

-52.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 JOD 0.53

$2.08 ฿70.1

-64.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 JOD 0.52

$1.51 ฿51.0

-50.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.51

$1.38 ฿46.56

-47.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 JOD 0.41

$1.07 ฿35.99

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 JOD 0.41

$0.52 ฿17.52

9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 JOD 2.78

$4.20 ฿142

-6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 JOD 12.22

$18.79 ฿634

-8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JOD 1.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

54.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 JOD 1.79

$2.84 ฿95.9

-11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 JOD 0.36

$3.02 ฿102

-83.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 JOD 0.97

$1.02 ฿34.36

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 JOD 4.89

$3.69 ฿125

87.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.47 ฿49.81

-2.04%

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

$31.5K JOD 22.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

17.48%

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

$31.2K JOD 22.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

17.08%

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

$135 JOD 95.4

$96.4 ฿3,254

39.83%

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

$15.70 JOD 11.11

$11.26 ฿380

39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 JOD 23.30

$16.85 ฿569

95.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 JOD 45.51

$67.2 ฿2,270

-4.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 JOD 7.87

$7.50 ฿253

48.27%

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

$538 JOD 381

$476 ฿16.1K

13.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,836 JOD 2,007

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-74.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.03 JOD 19.84

$62.4 ฿2,106

-55.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.43 JOD 30.03

$28.41 ฿959

49.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.20 JOD 29.87

$94.3 ฿3,184

-55.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 JOD 49.51

$85.8 ฿2,898

-18.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 JOD 202

$716 ฿24.2K

-60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 JOD 148

$491 ฿16.6K

-57.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 JOD 482

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-64.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 JOD 328

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,119 JOD 792

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-73.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 JOD 400

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-81.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$564 JOD 399

$502 ฿17.0K

12.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

5.57

24.60%

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

Last update for Aqaba: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aqaba

$209 22.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 134% $281

Groceries & Markets

Aqaba

$189 20.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 40.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aqaba

$183 20%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.1% $59

Eating Out

Aqaba

$158 17.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Aqaba

$87 9.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Aqaba

$82 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 48.3% $40

Getting Around

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 859% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $286 in Aqaba 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 run about 12% higher in Aqaba, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Aqaba versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Aqaba vs $266 in Phuket – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

4 h ahead of Aqaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aqaba Phuket 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Aqaba
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

Aqaba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,374 per month in Aqaba and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Aqaba and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $538 per month in Aqaba and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aqaba costs $916 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.