Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $845 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$845

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $845 in Assela versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Assela $845
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Assela versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Assela $1,216
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,586 in Assela versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Assela $1,586
Phuket $3,154

Living in Assela costs roughly 34% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Assela 38% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ETB 652

$4.47 ฿151

-9.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.56 ETB 6,847

$32.41 ฿1,094

31.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ETB 1,054

$8.81 ฿297

-25.65%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$2.83 ฿95.4

-68.90%

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

$0.59 ETB 94.7

$0.87 ฿29.42

-32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$0.49 ฿16.66

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$2.56 ฿86.3

-69.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ETB 360

$3.68 ฿124

-39.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.66 ฿56.0

-36.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$1.46 ฿49.32

-19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ETB 342

$1.50 ฿50.5

42.00%

Eggs

$1.75 ETB 282

$2.09 ฿70.5

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 ETB 1,217

$19.07 ฿643

-60.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ETB 1,649

$3.30 ฿111

210.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ETB 1,518

$10.91 ฿368

-13.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 ETB 853

$2.93 ฿98.9

80.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 102

$1.69 ฿57.0

-62.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 ETB 358

$2.25 ฿75.8

-0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 113

$2.08 ฿70.1

-66.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.5

$1.51 ฿51.0

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 168

$1.38 ฿46.54

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ETB 104

$1.07 ฿35.97

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ETB 97.6

$0.52 ฿17.51

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,273

$4.20 ฿142

88.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 ETB 901

$18.79 ฿634

-70.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ETB 115

$1.82 ฿61.5

-60.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.84 ฿95.9

-57.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ETB 210

$3.02 ฿102

-56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.25

$1.02 ฿34.34

-73.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ETB 324

$3.69 ฿125

-45.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ETB 142

$1.47 ฿49.78

-39.46%

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

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

106.63%

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

$55.0K ETB 8.8M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

105.88%

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

$207 ETB 33.3K

$96.4 ฿3,252

114.96%

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

$7.35 ETB 1,183

$11.26 ฿380

-34.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$211 ETB 34.0K

$16.85 ฿569

1154.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 ETB 598

$7.50 ฿253

-50.40%

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

$635 ETB 102.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

33.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K ETB 4.8M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

165.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.84 ETB 5,285

$62.4 ฿2,105

-47.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.7 ETB 11.5K

$28.41 ฿959

152.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ETB 12.8K

$94.3 ฿3,182

-15.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$85.8 ฿2,896

-3.72%

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 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

5.57

232.14%

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

Last update for Assela: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Assela

$426 50.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 70.8% $301

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$213 25.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$120 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Assela

$76 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.4 * 0.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1005% $75

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2563% $68

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Assela vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $266, with Assela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

11:30 11:30 AM

4 h ahead of Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Assela Phuket 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Assela
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

Assela vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,268 in Assela and $1,917 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.

Childcare runs $635 in Assela versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Assela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $845 in Assela versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Assela 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, Assela and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.