Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Elmina $668
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Phuket $2,867

Elmina is about 45% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Elmina and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Elmina 51% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.0

$4.58 ฿153

70.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 591

$32.48 ฿1,086

56.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$8.55 ฿286

20.00%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.9

$2.72 ฿91.0

63.97%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.85

$0.94 ฿31.25

62.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.12

$0.49 ฿16.39

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.03

$2.59 ฿86.6

-30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.19

$3.83 ฿128

-43.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.68

$1.74 ฿58.1

110.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.37

$1.43 ฿47.82

16.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.63

$1.53 ฿51.0

100.00%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.21

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$19.15 ฿640

-37.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.3

$3.30 ฿110

114.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$11.14 ฿372

-13.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.93

$2.95 ฿98.5

22.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.32

$1.68 ฿56.1

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.58

$2.30 ฿76.8

-23.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.44

$2.13 ฿71.3

67.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.29

$1.53 ฿51.1

75.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.82

$1.36 ฿45.55

94.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.34

$1.12 ฿37.44

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.02

$0.55 ฿18.24

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.19

$4.26 ฿142

-41.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.1

$18.19 ฿608

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.10

$1.74 ฿58.2

-30.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.79 ฿93.3

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.29

$2.91 ฿97.3

-40.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$1.01 ฿33.79

24.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.0

$3.83 ฿128

12.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.58

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-70.34%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-63.83%

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

$73.7 GHS 857

$99.4 ฿3,321

-25.83%

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

$19.07 GHS 222

$11.28 ฿377

69.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 491

$17.36 ฿580

143.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$7.57 ฿253

67.24%

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

$470 GHS 5,464

$558 ฿18.7K

-15.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

62.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 165

$62.9 ฿2,102

-77.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$28.58 ฿955

-34.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 427

$96.1 ฿3,213

-61.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 605

$88.1 ฿2,943

-40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

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)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

5.57

380.25%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 3.2% $8.8

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 27.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 5.2% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 127% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 166% $42

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 384% $31

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

18:35 6:35 PM

7 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

79,308

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Elmina Phuket 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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