Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baabda and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Baabda $1,008
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Baabda versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Baabda $1,611
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Baabda versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Baabda $2,213
Phuket $2,867

Living in Baabda costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baabda 25% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

$4.58 ฿153

161.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

$32.48 ฿1,086

109.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$8.55 ฿286

17.89%

Cappuccino

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

$2.72 ฿91.0

69.12%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

$0.94 ฿31.25

155.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

$0.49 ฿16.39

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

$2.59 ฿86.6

89.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

$3.83 ฿128

25.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

$1.74 ฿58.1

13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

$1.43 ฿47.82

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

$1.53 ฿51.0

52.94%

Eggs

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

$2.17 ฿72.7

69.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

$19.15 ฿640

-42.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

$3.30 ฿110

218.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

$11.14 ฿372

34.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

$2.95 ฿98.5

2.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

$2.30 ฿76.8

-26.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

$2.13 ฿71.3

-29.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

$1.53 ฿51.1

-17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

$1.36 ฿45.55

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

$1.12 ฿37.44

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

$0.55 ฿18.24

32.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

$4.26 ฿142

-29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

$18.19 ฿608

-38.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

$1.74 ฿58.2

-26.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

$2.79 ฿93.3

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

$2.91 ฿97.3

69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

$1.01 ฿33.79

127.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

$3.83 ฿128

481.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

$1.49 ฿49.85

-29.53%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$26.7K ฿891.6K

99.62%

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

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

$26.7K ฿892.7K

22.26%

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

$236 LBP 21.2M

$99.4 ฿3,321

137.92%

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

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

$11.28 ฿377

98.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

$17.36 ฿580

117.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$7.57 ฿253

33.16%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$558 ฿18.7K

22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-7.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

$62.9 ฿2,102

9.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

$28.58 ฿955

75.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$96.1 ฿3,213

44.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 LBP 10.6M

$88.1 ฿2,943

34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baabda

$297 29.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 56.8% $169

Groceries & Markets

Baabda

$277 27.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 3.5% $9.6

Eating Out

Baabda

$228 22.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 46.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Baabda

$169 16.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 26.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Baabda

$20 * 2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 235% $47

Getting Around

Baabda

$16 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 137% $22

Accommodation & Living

Baabda

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Baabda vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Baabda

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

4 h ahead of Baabda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baabda Phuket 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Baabda
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

Baabda vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baabda and Phuket differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,207 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,512 in Baabda and $1,811 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 $686 in Baabda versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda 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, Baabda and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.