Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $953 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ar-rustaq, Oman
Phuket, Thailand
Ar-rustaq
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Ar-rustaq $953
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Ar-rustaq $1,432
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,910 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Ar-rustaq $1,910
  • Phuket $3,154

Ar-rustaq is about 25% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ar-rustaq and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Ar-rustaq 30% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.33 OMR 2.05
$4.47 ฿151
19.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.16 OMR 15.08
$32.41 ฿1,094
20.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.82 OMR 3.01
$8.81 ฿297
-11.24%
Cappuccino
$5.21 OMR 2.01
$2.83 ฿95.5
84.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 OMR 0.32
$0.87 ฿29.43
-3.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 OMR 0.10
$0.49 ฿16.67
-44.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.78 OMR 4.92
$2.56 ฿86.4
399.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.19 OMR 5.08
$3.68 ฿124
258.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.39 OMR 0.92
$1.66 ฿56.0
43.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 OMR 0.46
$1.46 ฿49.35
-17.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.95 OMR 0.75
$1.50 ฿50.6
30.00%
Eggs
$3.08 OMR 1.19
$2.09 ฿70.5
47.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.11 OMR 2.74
$19.07 ฿644
-62.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.96 OMR 2.68
$3.30 ฿111
110.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.14 OMR 3.90
$10.91 ฿368
-7.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.51 OMR 1.35
$2.93 ฿99.0
19.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 OMR 0.78
$1.69 ฿57.1
20.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.40 OMR 0.92
$2.25 ฿75.8
6.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.28 OMR 0.49
$2.08 ฿70.1
-38.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 OMR 0.45
$1.51 ฿51.0
-22.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 OMR 0.47
$1.38 ฿46.56
-11.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 OMR 0.72
$1.07 ฿35.99
73.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 OMR 0.26
$0.52 ฿17.52
30.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.65 OMR 2.56
$4.20 ฿142
58.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.55 OMR 5.99
$18.79 ฿634
-17.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.85 OMR 2.25
$1.82 ฿61.5
221.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.05 OMR 3.87
$2.84 ฿95.9
253.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 OMR 1.25
$3.02 ฿102
7.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.57 OMR 0.99
$1.02 ฿34.36
151.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 OMR 3.09
$3.69 ฿125
117.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.59 OMR 0.23
$1.47 ฿49.81
-59.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K OMR 9,784
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-5.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.9K OMR 8,060
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-21.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$177 OMR 68.3
$96.4 ฿3,254
84.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.29 OMR 11.66
$11.26 ฿380
169.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.6 OMR 27.58
$16.85 ฿569
325.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.25 OMR 3.95
$7.50 ฿253
36.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$508 OMR 196
$476 ฿16.1K
6.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K OMR 4,030
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-7.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 OMR 21.53
$62.4 ฿2,106
-10.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.75 OMR 16.84
$28.41 ฿959
54.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.6 OMR 34.12
$94.3 ฿3,184
-6.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.4 OMR 33.26
$85.8 ฿2,898
0.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$716 ฿24.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$491 ฿16.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ar-rustaq
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,358 OMR 1,678
$502 ฿17.0K
767.69%
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 Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ar-rustaq
$290
Phuket
$266 8.3% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ar-rustaq
$279
Phuket
$124 55.4% $155
Eating Out
Ar-rustaq
$223
Phuket
$122 45.5% $102
Clothing & Footwear
Ar-rustaq
$124
Phuket
$122 1.4% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Ar-rustaq
$21 *
Phuket
$82 301% $62
Getting Around
Ar-rustaq
$16 *
Phuket
$71 339% $54
Accommodation & Living
Ar-rustaq
- *
Phuket
$491

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ar-rustaq are about 8.7 times higher, 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 $39 in Ar-rustaq versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
22:40 10:40 PM
01:40 1:40 AM
3 h ahead of Ar-rustaq
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
120,000
79,308
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.429 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ar-rustaq Phuket 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ar-rustaq
  • 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
Ar-rustaq vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ar-rustaq cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Ar-rustaq and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Ar-rustaq and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $953 in Ar-rustaq and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 34%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Ar-rustaq and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Ar-rustaq or in Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Ar-rustaq to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Ar-rustaq or Phuket?
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.

Ar-rustaq vs other spots: cost of living compared

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