Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
Learn more

Kafue Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $564 per month in Kafue vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Kafue $564
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $902 per month in Kafue vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Kafue $902
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Kafue vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Kafue $1,239
Phuket $3,115

Kafue is about 56% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kafue and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kafue 58% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

$4.39 ฿148

22.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 595

$32.31 ฿1,089

-8.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

$8.70 ฿293

-42.07%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.8

$2.72 ฿91.8

5.15%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.46

$0.93 ฿31.35

-22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.68

$0.50 ฿16.83

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.74

$2.53 ฿85.3

-51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.83

$3.63 ฿122

-37.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.91

$1.74 ฿58.6

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.53

$1.45 ฿48.89

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

34.00%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.24

$2.17 ฿73.2

-10.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

$19.09 ฿643

-46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

$3.40 ฿115

81.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$10.90 ฿367

-39.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

$2.94 ฿99.1

14.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.77

$1.69 ฿57.0

39.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.5

$2.19 ฿73.9

47.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.11

$2.12 ฿71.6

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.6

$1.46 ฿49.15

78.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.77

$1.37 ฿46.10

29.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.38

$1.08 ฿36.26

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.45

$0.55 ฿18.38

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 60.9

$4.43 ฿149

-32.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 201

$18.25 ฿615

-45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.78

$1.77 ฿59.7

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.92

$2.88 ฿97.1

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.07

$1.51 ฿51.0

60.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.03

$0.78 ฿26.14

84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 101

$3.84 ฿129

30.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.57

$1.49 ฿50.1

-2.01%

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

$7,396 ZMW 149.5K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

-72.49%

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

$24.7K ZMW 499.7K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

-6.19%

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

$69.0 ZMW 1,394

$97.8 ฿3,296

-29.49%

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

$10.75 ZMW 217

$11.29 ฿381

-4.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,083

$17.19 ฿579

211.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ZMW 118

$7.43 ฿250

-21.67%

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

$145 ZMW 2,940

$530 ฿17.9K

-72.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K ZMW 414.2K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

9.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.90 ZMW 504

$61.7 ฿2,078

-59.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 352

$28.25 ฿952

-38.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 908

$96.0 ฿3,235

-53.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,317

$86.8 ฿2,926

-24.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

420.65%

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

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 14.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 5.2% $7

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 10.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 79% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 615% $72

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 588% $56

Accommodation & Living

Kafue

- * 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 $29 in Kafue versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $267 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

22:44 10:44 PM

5 h ahead of Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

79,308

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 20.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.64 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kafue Phuket 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kafue
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

Kafue vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $564 in Kafue, $1,294 in Phuket – Kafue comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $846 per month in Kafue and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $564 in Kafue and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Kafue about 56% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in Kafue and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kafue 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 $564 in Kafue to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.