Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,226 in Dammam versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Dammam $1,226
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,857 in Dammam versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Dammam $1,857
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,488 in Dammam versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Dammam $2,488
Phuket $3,154

Living in Dammam costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dammam 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.49 SAR 24.35

$4.47 ฿151

45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.23 SAR 147

$32.41 ฿1,094

21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.21

$8.81 ฿297

-11.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Cappuccino

$3.71 SAR 13.94

$2.83 ฿95.5

31.10%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.02

$0.87 ฿29.43

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.04

$0.49 ฿16.67

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.66 ฿56.0

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.46 ฿49.35

-28.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$1.50 ฿50.6

54.67%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.52

$2.09 ฿70.5

21.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 SAR 25.48

$19.07 ฿644

-64.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 SAR 27.55

$3.30 ฿111

122.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 SAR 48.52

$10.91 ฿368

18.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$2.93 ฿99.0

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$2.25 ฿75.8

-28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$2.08 ฿70.1

-21.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.67

$1.51 ฿51.0

-17.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

$1.38 ฿46.56

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$1.07 ฿35.99

26.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$0.52 ฿17.52

13.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SAR 27.23

$4.20 ฿142

72.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$1.45 ฿49.03

-28.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.52 SAR 152

$56.7 ฿1,913

-28.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$3.02 ฿102

-13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

$1.02 ฿34.36

85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.55 SAR 50.8

$3.69 ฿125

267.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.47 ฿49.81

-55.78%

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

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

1.35%

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

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-12.39%

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

$105 SAR 395

$96.4 ฿3,254

9.29%

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

$33.70 SAR 126

$11.26 ฿380

199.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 SAR 271

$16.85 ฿569

328.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 SAR 354

$67.2 ฿2,270

40.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 SAR 139

$10.73 ฿362

244.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 SAR 54.8

$7.50 ฿253

94.80%

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

$346 SAR 1,299

$476 ฿16.1K

-27.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-31.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 SAR 210

$62.4 ฿2,106

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 SAR 236

$28.41 ฿959

121.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 SAR 315

$94.3 ฿3,184

-10.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 SAR 305

$85.8 ฿2,898

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 SAR 1,652

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 SAR 1,441

$491 ฿16.6K

-21.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 SAR 3,337

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,352

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-56.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 SAR 6,708

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-57.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 SAR 4,025

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-64.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

5.57

-20.65%

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

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dammam

$384 31.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 27.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dammam

$211 17.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Dammam

$198 16.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Dammam

$128 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.7% $6

Eating Out

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 33.5% $41

Getting Around

Dammam

$57 4.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 24.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Dammam and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Dammam vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $266, with Dammam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dammam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

4 h ahead of Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dammam Phuket 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dammam
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

Dammam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,839 in Dammam 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Dammam versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,226 per month in Dammam versus $1,278 in Phuket – Dammam is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dammam runs roughly 28% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Dammam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.