Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budaiya and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $812 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $812 in Budaiya versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Budaiya $812
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,288 in Budaiya versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Budaiya $1,288
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,763 in Budaiya versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Budaiya $1,763
Phuket $3,154

Living in Budaiya costs roughly 36% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Budaiya 40% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$4.47 ฿151

21.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 BHD 19.67

$32.41 ฿1,094

60.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 BHD 2.49

$8.81 ฿297

-24.97%

Cappuccino

$5.03 BHD 1.90

$2.83 ฿95.5

77.74%

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

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.87 ฿29.43

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 BHD 0.11

$0.49 ฿16.67

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 BHD 2.56

$2.56 ฿86.4

164.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 BHD 3.77

$3.68 ฿124

171.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.66 ฿56.0

-16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.46 ฿49.35

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$1.50 ฿50.6

59.33%

Eggs

$2.24 BHD 0.84

$2.09 ฿70.5

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$19.07 ฿644

-55.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 BHD 2.49

$3.30 ฿111

99.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$10.91 ฿368

-22.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 BHD 0.89

$2.93 ฿99.0

-19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$1.69 ฿57.1

31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BHD 0.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 BHD 0.55

$2.08 ฿70.1

-30.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

-32.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 BHD 0.54

$1.38 ฿46.56

3.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 BHD 0.58

$1.07 ฿35.99

42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.52 ฿17.52

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 BHD 2.03

$4.20 ฿142

27.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 BHD 6.87

$18.79 ฿634

-3.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 BHD 1.39

$1.82 ฿61.5

102.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 BHD 0.98

$2.84 ฿95.9

-8.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 BHD 1.97

$3.02 ฿102

72.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 BHD 1.29

$1.02 ฿34.36

236.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.15 BHD 6.09

$3.69 ฿125

337.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$1.47 ฿49.81

-53.06%

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

$26.5K BHD 9,987

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-1.12%

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

$19.9K BHD 7,509

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-25.42%

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

$151 BHD 57.0

$96.4 ฿3,254

56.73%

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

$24.28 BHD 9.16

$11.26 ฿380

115.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.89 BHD 13.16

$16.85 ฿569

107.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 BHD 3.92

$7.50 ฿253

38.67%

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

$614 BHD 232

$476 ฿16.1K

28.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,129

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-2.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 BHD 19.08

$62.4 ฿2,106

-18.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 BHD 21.56

$28.41 ฿959

101.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 BHD 33.74

$94.3 ฿3,184

-5.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 BHD 33.50

$85.8 ฿2,898

3.50%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.57

11.49%

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

Last update for Budaiya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Budaiya

$248 30.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 7.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budaiya

$210 25.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 40.8% $86

Eating Out

Budaiya

$182 22.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 33.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Budaiya

$129 15.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Budaiya

$22 * 2.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 216% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 296% $61

Accommodation & Living

Budaiya

- * 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: $52 in Budaiya vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $266, with Budaiya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

4 h ahead of Budaiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,702

79,308

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.42 BHD (1 BHD = 2.38 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).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budaiya Phuket 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budaiya
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

Budaiya vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,219 in Budaiya 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $812 per month in Budaiya versus $1,278 in Phuket – Budaiya is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Budaiya and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.