Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jubail and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
Learn more

Jubail Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Jubail versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Jubail $1,100
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Jubail versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Jubail $1,720
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Jubail versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Jubail $2,339
Phuket $3,154

Living in Jubail costs roughly 14% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jubail 19% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$4.47 ฿151

52.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 SAR 148

$32.41 ฿1,092

21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 SAR 34.03

$8.81 ฿297

2.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

Cappuccino

$3.99 SAR 14.97

$2.83 ฿95.3

40.99%

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

$1.00 SAR 3.74

$0.87 ฿29.37

14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$0.49 ฿16.64

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 SAR 5.45

$1.46 ฿49.25

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

$1.50 ฿50.4

8.00%

Eggs

$2.06 SAR 7.74

$2.09 ฿70.4

-1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 SAR 36.85

$19.07 ฿642

-48.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.16

$3.30 ฿111

95.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 SAR 45.57

$10.91 ฿368

11.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

$2.93 ฿98.7

-23.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.69 ฿56.9

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

$2.25 ฿75.7

-30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$2.08 ฿70.0

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.51 ฿50.9

-14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.25

$1.38 ฿46.47

1.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.07 ฿35.91

63.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.52 ฿17.49

3.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 SAR 24.90

$4.20 ฿142

58.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.45 ฿48.93

-9.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.90 SAR 89.7

$56.7 ฿1,909

-57.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$3.02 ฿102

7.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$1.02 ฿34.29

168.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$3.69 ฿124

266.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.47 ฿49.70

-58.50%

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

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

0.03%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-18.77%

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

$80.1 SAR 301

$96.4 ฿3,247

-16.84%

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

$27.36 SAR 103

$11.26 ฿380

142.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 SAR 248

$16.85 ฿568

292.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 SAR 391

$67.2 ฿2,266

54.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.93 SAR 150

$10.73 ฿361

272.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 SAR 50.9

$7.50 ฿253

81.07%

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

$178 SAR 667

$476 ฿16.0K

-62.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,690 SAR 28.8K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-31.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.14 SAR 158

$62.4 ฿2,102

-32.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 SAR 222

$28.41 ฿957

108.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 SAR 300

$94.3 ฿3,178

-15.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$85.8 ฿2,892

0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 SAR 1,591

$716 ฿24.1K

-40.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 SAR 1,105

$491 ฿16.5K

-40.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 SAR 2,502

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-65.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 SAR 1,950

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-63.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-34.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,396 SAR 5,238

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-54.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,605 SAR 6,021

$502 ฿16.9K

219.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.62

5.57

0.90%

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

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jubail

$295 26.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 66.7% $196

Groceries & Markets

Jubail

$199 18.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jubail

$174 15.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 28.3% $49

Eating Out

Jubail

$135 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Jubail

$131 11.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 37.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Jubail

$121 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.1% $1.3

Getting Around

Jubail

$46 4.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 53.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Jubail and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jubail pays about 3.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Jubail vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $266, with Jubail cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jubail

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

08:54 8:54 AM

4 h ahead of Jubail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,778

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jubail Phuket 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jubail
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

Jubail vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Jubail is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $424 in Jubail versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,100 per month in Jubail versus $1,278 in Phuket – Jubail is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Jubail runs roughly 58% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Jubail is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Jubail and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.