Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Janub-as-surrah and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Janub-as-surrah and in Phuket: $1,266 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Janub-as-surrah
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Janub-as-surrah Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Janub-as-surrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,266

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Janub-as-surrah versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Janub-as-surrah $1,266
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,141 in Janub-as-surrah versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Janub-as-surrah $2,141
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,015 in Janub-as-surrah versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Janub-as-surrah $3,015
Phuket $2,867

Living in Janub-as-surrah is roughly 5% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Janub-as-surrah 6% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 KWD 2.71

$4.58 ฿153

92.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 KWD 20.39

$32.48 ฿1,086

103.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 KWD 2.55

$8.55 ฿286

-3.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 KWD 0.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 KWD 0.94

Cappuccino

$5.56 KWD 1.71

$2.72 ฿91.0

104.41%

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

$0.52 KWD 0.16

$0.94 ฿31.25

-44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 KWD 0.09

$0.49 ฿16.39

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 KWD 0.40

$1.74 ฿58.1

-25.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 KWD 0.28

$1.43 ฿47.82

-37.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 KWD 0.56

$1.53 ฿51.0

18.95%

Eggs

$1.88 KWD 0.58

$2.17 ฿72.7

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.86 KWD 1.50

$19.15 ฿640

-74.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 KWD 1.92

$3.30 ฿110

88.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.68 KWD 2.98

$11.14 ฿372

-13.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 KWD 0.69

$2.95 ฿98.5

-24.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 KWD 0.59

$1.68 ฿56.1

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$2.30 ฿76.8

-41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 KWD 0.53

$2.13 ฿71.3

-19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 KWD 0.41

$1.53 ฿51.1

-12.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 KWD 0.27

$1.36 ฿45.55

-36.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 KWD 0.44

$1.12 ฿37.44

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 KWD 0.17

$0.55 ฿18.24

-1.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 KWD 0.40

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$4.26 ฿142

-43.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KWD 0.25

$2.22 ฿74.1

-63.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KWD 0.98

$2.91 ฿97.3

8.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 KWD 1.03

$1.01 ฿33.79

230.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.85 KWD 4.88

$3.83 ฿128

313.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.34 KWD 0.10

$1.49 ฿49.85

-77.18%

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

$20.3K KWD 6,249

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-23.98%

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

$21.0K KWD 6,469

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-21.39%

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

$71.9 KWD 22.17

$99.4 ฿3,321

-27.60%

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

$21.29 KWD 6.56

$11.28 ฿377

88.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.26 KWD 9.94

$17.36 ฿580

85.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.8 KWD 28.58

$52.3 ฿1,747

77.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 KWD 3.56

$7.57 ฿253

52.71%

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

$306 KWD 94.2

$558 ฿18.7K

-45.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,692 KWD 2,062

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.91 KWD 13.22

$62.9 ฿2,102

-31.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.90 KWD 12.91

$28.58 ฿955

46.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 KWD 27.79

$96.1 ฿3,213

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 KWD 25.21

$88.1 ฿2,943

-7.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 KWD 234

$729 ฿24.4K

4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 KWD 171

$460 ฿15.4K

20.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 KWD 473

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 KWD 388

$1,222 ฿40.8K

2.96%

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 %)

6.53

5.57

17.24%

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

Last update for Janub-as-surrah: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Janub-as-surrah

$555 43.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 17.2% $95

Groceries & Markets

Janub-as-surrah

$166 13.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 61.3% $102

Eating Out

Janub-as-surrah

$165 13%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 26.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Janub-as-surrah

$125 9.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 2% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Janub-as-surrah

$116 9.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 41.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Janub-as-surrah

$116 9.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Janub-as-surrah

$23 * 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 68.4% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $760 in Janub-as-surrah and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Janub-as-surrah vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $166 vs $268, with Janub-as-surrah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Janub-as-surrah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

4 h ahead of Janub-as-surrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,496

79,308

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Janub-as-surrah Phuket 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Janub-as-surrah
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

Janub-as-surrah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Janub-as-surrah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,900 in Janub-as-surrah and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $760 in Janub-as-surrah versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Janub-as-surrah pay roughly 61% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,266 per month in Janub-as-surrah versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,266 in Janub-as-surrah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Janub-as-surrah. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Janub-as-surrah and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Janub-as-surrah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.