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

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 61.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 132.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 58.3% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 80.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.78 AED 39.55
$4.59 ฿147
134.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 AED 294
$46.83 ฿1,501
71.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.59 AED 35.21
$8.70 ฿279
10.23%
Cappuccino
$5.45 AED 19.98
$2.92 ฿93.7
86.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 AED 4.37
$0.68 ฿21.92
75.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 AED 3.22
$0.40 ฿12.70
120.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.21 AED 44.80
$2.51 ฿80.4
386.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.63 AED 50.0
$3.80 ฿122
258.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 AED 7.12
$2.16 ฿69.3
-10.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 AED 5.02
$1.88 ฿60.3
-27.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 AED 8.14
$2.16 ฿69.2
2.78%
Eggs
$3.30 AED 12.13
$2.22 ฿71.2
48.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 AED 37.05
$19.57 ฿627
-48.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.20 AED 33.75
$3.80 ฿122
142.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.78 AED 46.90
$13.41 ฿430
-4.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.34 AED 8.59
$3.26 ฿104
-28.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 AED 7.11
$1.61 ฿51.7
20.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 AED 7.02
$2.31 ฿74.0
-17.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 AED 5.62
$2.06 ฿66.0
-25.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 AED 4.36
$1.61 ฿51.5
-26.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 AED 4.67
$1.44 ฿46.26
-11.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 AED 5.32
$1.03 ฿33.01
40.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 AED 2.52
$0.48 ฿15.39
43.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.51 AED 23.88
$4.50 ฿144
44.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.19 AED 70.4
$19.18 ฿615
0.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 AED 10.05
$1.82 ฿58.4
50.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 AED 12.64
$2.69 ฿86.2
27.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.62 AED 5.94
$1.38 ฿44.16
17.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.6 AED 296
$11.76 ฿377
585.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 AED 11.85
$3.11 ฿99.6
3.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 AED 2.90
$1.00 ฿32.18
-21.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.99 AED 29.31
$13.74 ฿441
-41.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 AED 2.89
$1.30 ฿41.61
-39.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K AED 121.3K
$27.4K ฿877.0K
20.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K AED 83.0K
$33.0K ฿1.1M
-31.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 AED 788
$125 ฿4,004
71.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.5 AED 233
$13.74 ฿440
362.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$101 AED 369
$18.61 ฿597
440.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$85.9 AED 315
$60.6 ฿1,941
41.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.94 AED 169
$17.15 ฿550
167.87%
Cinema Ticket
$15.02 AED 55.1
$9.01 ฿289
66.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$827 AED 3,034
$698 ฿22.4K
18.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K AED 52.2K
$16.1K ฿516.5K
-11.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.1 AED 305
$59.2 ฿1,898
40.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.9 AED 235
$34.86 ฿1,118
83.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 AED 419
$114 ฿3,662
0.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 AED 453
$85.8 ฿2,751
43.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,433 AED 8,928
$619 ฿19.8K
293.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,555 AED 5,708
$437 ฿14.0K
256.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,541 AED 16.7K
$2,075 ฿66.5K
118.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,004 AED 11.0K
$1,509 ฿48.4K
99.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,123 AED 26.1K
$3,764 ฿120.7K
89.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,087 AED 15.0K
$2,694 ฿86.4K
51.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,901 AED 14.3K
$528 ฿16.9K
638.13%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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