Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $498 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Jalalabad vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Jalalabad $498
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $682 per month in Jalalabad vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Jalalabad $682
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $866 per month in Jalalabad vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Jalalabad $866
Phuket $3,154

Jalalabad is about 61% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jalalabad and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Jalalabad 63% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ؋148

$4.47 ฿151

-48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.83 ؋508

$32.41 ฿1,093

-75.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.88 ؋252

$8.81 ฿297

-55.96%

Cappuccino

$0.76 ؋49.16

$2.83 ฿95.4

-73.14%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 ؋57.6

$1.66 ฿55.9

-46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 ؋25.78

$1.46 ฿49.31

-72.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ؋122

$1.50 ฿50.5

25.33%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$2.09 ฿70.5

-19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 ؋356

$19.07 ฿643

-71.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ؋177

$3.30 ฿111

-17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ؋392

$10.91 ฿368

-44.73%

Apples (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.24

$2.93 ฿98.9

-77.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ؋39.06

$1.69 ฿57.0

-64.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 ؋48.14

$2.25 ฿75.8

-67.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.53

$2.08 ฿70.0

-77.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ؋23.57

$1.51 ฿51.0

-76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ؋19.13

$1.38 ฿46.52

-78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ؋21.12

$1.07 ฿35.96

-69.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.45

$0.52 ฿17.51

-42.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ؋149

$4.20 ฿142

-45.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ؋9.65

$1.45 ฿48.98

-89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.80 ؋701

$56.7 ฿1,912

-80.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ؋48.18

$3.02 ฿102

-75.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋30.87

$1.02 ฿34.33

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ؋97.8

$3.69 ฿125

-59.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ؋68.3

$1.47 ฿49.76

-28.57%

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

$8,330 ؋540.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-68.89%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$22.69 ؋1,472

$96.4 ฿3,251

-76.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$231 ؋15.0K

$16.85 ฿568

1269.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.84 ؋509

$67.2 ฿2,268

-88.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.57 ؋296

$10.73 ฿362

-57.41%

Cinema Ticket

$1.55 ؋101

$7.50 ฿253

-79.33%

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

$15.18 ؋985

$476 ฿16.1K

-96.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,212 ؋78.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-89.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.45 ؋1,197

$62.4 ฿2,104

-70.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.17 ؋985

$28.41 ฿958

-46.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.51 ؋1,526

$94.3 ฿3,181

-75.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.62 ؋1,987

$85.8 ฿2,895

-64.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,424

$716 ฿24.2K

-84.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$45.97 ؋2,984

$491 ฿16.6K

-90.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 ؋15.0K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-87.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,933

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-91.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$466 ؋30.3K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-88.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-92.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 ؋12.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

-63.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

5.57

149.19%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$254 * 51%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$94 18.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 183% $172

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$46 9.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 968% $445

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 209% $82

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 212% $83

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$15 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 386% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 651% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad versus $716 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 in Phuket are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $94 vs $266 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

79,308

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Phuket 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
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

Jalalabad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $498 in Jalalabad, $1,278 in Phuket – Jalalabad comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $746 per month in Jalalabad and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 183% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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