Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 62.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 137.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 57.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 78.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 AED 40.48
$4.68 ฿151
135.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.4 AED 295
$46.4 ฿1,502
73.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.33 AED 34.28
$8.65 ฿280
7.86%
Cappuccino
$5.49 AED 20.15
$3.09 ฿100
77.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 AED 4.57
$0.73 ฿23.53
69.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 AED 3.22
$0.37 ฿11.95
137.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.4 AED 45.55
$2.39 ฿77.4
418.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.52 AED 49.66
$3.62 ฿117
273.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.01 AED 7.36
$2.24 ฿72.5
-10.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 AED 5.22
$1.8 ฿58.2
-21.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 AED 8.32
$2.24 ฿72.3
1.34%
Eggs
$3.31 AED 12.15
$2.23 ฿72.1
48.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 AED 37.4
$19.31 ฿625
-47.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 AED 33.71
$3.77 ฿122
143.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 AED 46.85
$13.05 ฿422
-2.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.3 AED 8.44
$3.28 ฿106
-29.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 AED 6.85
$1.63 ฿52.6
14.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 AED 6.82
$2.4 ฿77.7
-22.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 AED 5.48
$1.99 ฿64.3
-25.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 AED 4.39
$1.53 ฿49.62
-22.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 AED 4.64
$1.49 ฿48.11
-15.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.4 AED 5.13
$1.02 ฿32.87
37.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 AED 2.38
$0.48 ฿15.61
35.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.7 AED 24.61
$4.32 ฿140
55.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.32 AED 59.9
$21.68 ฿702
-24.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 AED 9.68
$1.77 ฿57.3
49.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 AED 12.92
$2.79 ฿90.4
26.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.59 AED 5.84
$1.35 ฿43.74
17.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.7 AED 296
$11.76 ฿380
586.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 AED 11.83
$3.15 ฿102
2.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 AED 3.14
$1 ฿32.3
-15.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 AED 30.73
$13.64 ฿442
-38.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.72 AED 2.65
$1.3 ฿42.2
-44.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K AED 121K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
20.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K AED 83.3K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-33.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 AED 796
$123 ฿3,970
76.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.4 AED 233
$13.93 ฿451
355.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$101 AED 371
$18.24 ฿590
453.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$89.1 AED 327
$60.8 ฿1,966
46.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$46.03 AED 169
$17.11 ฿554
169.02%
Cinema Ticket
$14.96 AED 54.9
$9.07 ฿294
64.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$833 AED 3,060
$694 ฿22.5K
20.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K AED 52.4K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-10.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.3 AED 306
$57.5 ฿1,861
44.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.7 AED 234
$34.51 ฿1,117
84.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 AED 413
$115 ฿3,727
-2.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 AED 447
$84.8 ฿2,743
43.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,421 AED 8,892
$611 ฿19.8K
296.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,560 AED 5,729
$442 ฿14.3K
252.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,608 AED 16.9K
$2,014 ฿65.2K
128.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,940 AED 10.8K
$1,460 ฿47.2K
101.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,378 AED 27.1K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
73.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,803 AED 14K
$2,886 ฿93.4K
31.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,063 AED 14.9K
$697 ฿22.5K
483.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
5.33
-15.76%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 27, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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