Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Dhahran despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Phuket $2,867

Dhahran costs about 9% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dhahran and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Dhahran 2% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$4.58 ฿153

15.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$32.48 ฿1,086

20.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$8.55 ฿286

-25.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$2.72 ฿91.0

47.43%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$0.94 ฿31.25

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.49 ฿16.39

-61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.74 ฿58.1

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$1.43 ฿47.82

-32.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.53 ฿51.0

28.76%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.17 ฿72.7

78.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$19.15 ฿640

-55.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$3.30 ฿110

230.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$11.14 ฿372

24.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.95 ฿98.5

-27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.68 ฿56.1

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$2.30 ฿76.8

-22.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$2.13 ฿71.3

-15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.53 ฿51.1

-1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.36 ฿45.55

-29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$1.12 ฿37.44

75.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.55 ฿18.24

54.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$4.26 ฿142

30.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$2.22 ฿74.1

-62.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.91 ฿97.3

-53.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$1.01 ฿33.79

221.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$3.83 ฿128

148.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.49 ฿49.85

-56.38%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

99.49%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-22.55%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$99.4 ฿3,321

-40.62%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$11.28 ฿377

274.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$17.36 ฿580

273.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$52.3 ฿1,747

272.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$10.85 ฿362

761.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$7.57 ฿253

39.50%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$558 ฿18.7K

-88.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

15.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$62.9 ฿2,102

-19.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$28.58 ฿955

46.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$96.1 ฿3,213

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$88.1 ฿2,943

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$729 ฿24.4K

-50.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$460 ฿15.4K

-1.50%

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)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$493 ฿16.5K

464.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 1.5% $6.9

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 68.8% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 22.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.2% $7.2

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 7.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 85.7% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Dhahran versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 465% higher in Dhahran, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Dhahran versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Dhahran vs $268 in Phuket – so Dhahran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

4 h ahead of Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Phuket 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

Dhahran vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran costs about 9% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Dhahran and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Dhahran and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Dhahran at $1,317. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dhahran it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,317 in Dhahran. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dhahran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.