Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $838 per month in Hawassa vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Hawassa $838
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,202 per month in Hawassa vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Hawassa $1,202
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,566 per month in Hawassa vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Hawassa $1,566
Phuket $3,115

Hawassa is about 35% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Hawassa and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Hawassa 38% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ETB 625

$4.39 ฿147

-11.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.15 ETB 6,777

$32.31 ฿1,078

30.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$8.70 ฿290

-24.14%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$2.72 ฿90.9

-67.65%

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

$0.63 ETB 101

$0.93 ฿31.06

-32.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.50 ฿16.67

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$2.53 ฿84.5

-69.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ETB 355

$3.63 ฿121

-39.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.74 ฿58.1

-39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$1.45 ฿48.42

-19.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ETB 165

$1.50 ฿50.1

-31.33%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 254

$2.17 ฿72.5

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 ETB 1,186

$19.09 ฿637

-61.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 ETB 1,612

$3.40 ฿113

194.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ETB 1,491

$10.90 ฿364

-14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$2.94 ฿98.2

77.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.69 ฿56.5

-62.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 361

$2.19 ฿73.2

2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 112

$2.12 ฿70.9

-67.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.0

$1.46 ฿48.68

-67.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.37 ฿45.66

-20.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.08 ฿35.91

-38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$0.55 ฿18.21

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,272

$4.43 ฿148

78.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 ETB 908

$18.25 ฿609

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.77 ฿59.2

-62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.88 ฿96.2

-57.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.51 ฿50.5

-9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.39

$0.78 ฿25.90

-65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$3.84 ฿128

-47.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$1.49 ฿49.65

-36.24%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

101.92%

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

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

110.81%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$97.8 ฿3,265

109.71%

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

$7.48 ETB 1,202

$11.29 ฿377

-33.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.8K

$17.19 ฿574

1159.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 ETB 613

$7.43 ฿248

-48.72%

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

$616 ETB 99.1K

$530 ฿17.7K

16.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

62.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 ETB 5,368

$61.7 ฿2,059

-45.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

$28.25 ฿943

146.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-19.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

$86.8 ฿2,898

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 ETB 80.3K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-84.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

5.57

232.14%

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

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$429 51.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 70.6% $303

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 30% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$119 14.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 3.4% $4

Eating Out

Hawassa

$75 8.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 992% $76

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 2338% $63

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Phuket

$509 39.3%

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 $42 in Hawassa versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Hawassa vs $267 in Phuket – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

4 h ahead of Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Phuket 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $838 in Hawassa, $1,294 in Phuket – Hawassa comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,258 per month in Hawassa and $1,940 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 $42 in Hawassa and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.