Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamako and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $899 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$899

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $899 in Bamako versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Bamako $899
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Bamako versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Bamako $1,467
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,034 in Bamako versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Bamako $2,034
Phuket $2,845

Living in Bamako costs roughly 26% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bamako 34% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 F CFA 5,042

$4.40 ฿147

96.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.32 F CFA 20.6K

$32.26 ฿1,078

9.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 F CFA 4,678

$8.76 ฿293

-8.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 F CFA 967

$2.83 ฿94.5

-41.34%

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

$0.97 F CFA 567

$0.90 ฿30.14

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 F CFA 405

$0.47 ฿15.56

46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 F CFA 1,376

$2.55 ฿85.2

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

$3.83 ฿128

450.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 F CFA 1,120

$1.73 ฿57.7

10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 F CFA 2,218

$1.47 ฿49.11

158.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

Eggs

$6.07 F CFA 3,537

$2.17 ฿72.7

179.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 F CFA 10.2K

$19.70 ฿658

-11.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 F CFA 9,284

$3.34 ฿112

376.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 F CFA 7,342

$11.16 ฿373

12.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 F CFA 2,397

$2.85 ฿95.1

44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 F CFA 595

$1.70 ฿56.9

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 F CFA 1,689

$2.19 ฿73.3

32.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 F CFA 1,204

$2.05 ฿68.4

0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 F CFA 728

$1.45 ฿48.57

-13.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 664

$1.38 ฿46.16

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.09 F CFA 51.0

$1.07 ฿35.69

-91.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 F CFA 1,633

$0.51 ฿16.91

449.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 F CFA 916

$1.78 ฿59.7

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 F CFA 973

$2.85 ฿95.2

-41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 F CFA 729

$1.06 ฿35.34

17.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 F CFA 655

$1.45 ฿48.45

-22.76%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$152 F CFA 88.5K

$96.4 ฿3,221

57.50%

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

$11.04 ฿369

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 F CFA 38.6K

$17.14 ฿573

285.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 F CFA 40.6K

$52.2 ฿1,744

33.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 F CFA 102.4K

$737 ฿24.6K

-76.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.4 F CFA 46.9K

$462 ฿15.5K

-82.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 F CFA 293.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-76.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 F CFA 176.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-74.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 F CFA 733.7K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-50.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 F CFA 155.2K

$501 ฿16.7K

-46.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Bamako: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bamako

$351 * 39.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 23.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamako

$218 * 24.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 42.8% $93

Eating Out

Bamako

$174 19.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 30.2% $53

Accommodation & Living

Bamako

$80 8.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 475% $382

Sport & Entertainment

Bamako

$70 * 7.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Bamako

$6.3 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 531% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bamako

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Bamako and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bamako vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Bamako

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

7 h ahead of Bamako

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,809,106 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamako Phuket 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamako
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

Bamako vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Bamako versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $899 per month in Bamako versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $899 in Bamako versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $899 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.