Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilifi and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $634 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$634

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in Kilifi vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Kilifi $634
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Kilifi vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Kilifi $1,049
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,465 per month in Kilifi vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Kilifi $1,465
Phuket $2,867

Kilifi is about 47% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kilifi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kilifi 53% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 KES 246

$4.58 ฿153

-58.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.32 KES 6,394

$32.48 ฿1,086

51.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.29 KES 297

$8.55 ฿286

-73.22%

Cappuccino

$1.99 KES 257

$2.72 ฿91.0

-26.84%

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

$0.81 KES 105

$0.94 ฿31.25

-13.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 96.2

$0.49 ฿16.39

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 KES 196

$2.59 ฿86.6

-41.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.74 ฿58.1

-39.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 KES 114

$1.43 ฿47.82

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 KES 260

$1.53 ฿51.0

31.37%

Eggs

$1.94 KES 251

$2.17 ฿72.7

-10.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 KES 1,023

$11.14 ฿372

-29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.95 ฿98.5

-22.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.9

$1.68 ฿56.1

-58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 KES 232

$2.30 ฿76.8

-22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 KES 57.7

$2.13 ฿71.3

-78.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$1.53 ฿51.1

-48.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$1.36 ฿45.55

-41.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 KES 28.39

$0.55 ฿18.24

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 KES 1,643

$18.19 ฿608

-30.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 KES 222

$1.74 ฿58.2

-1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 KES 95.7

$2.22 ฿74.1

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 KES 3,457

$22.06 ฿737

20.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 KES 171

$1.49 ฿49.85

-11.41%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$15.65 KES 2,029

$99.4 ฿3,321

-84.25%

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

$10.43 KES 1,353

$11.28 ฿377

-7.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.11 KES 3,255

$17.36 ฿580

44.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.40 KES 3,552

$52.3 ฿1,747

-47.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 KES 974

$7.57 ฿253

-0.66%

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

$160 KES 20.8K

$558 ฿18.7K

-71.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 KES 646.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-56.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.82 KES 1,273

$62.9 ฿2,102

-84.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.90 KES 1,154

$28.58 ฿955

-68.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.50 KES 2,009

$96.1 ฿3,213

-83.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$17.60 KES 2,282

$88.1 ฿2,943

-80.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 KES 42.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-54.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 KES 39.3K

$460 ฿15.4K

-34.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 KES 35.4K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-86.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 KES 73.9K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-53.40%

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)

$227 KES 29.4K

$493 ฿16.5K

-54.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Kilifi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Groceries & Markets

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Eating Out

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Kilifi

–

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Kilifi versus $729 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 run about 117% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Kilifi versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $124 in Kilifi vs $268 in Phuket – so Kilifi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

4 h ahead of Kilifi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,899

79,308

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kilifi Phuket 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilifi
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

Kilifi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $634 in Kilifi, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $951 per month in Kilifi and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kilifi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Kilifi and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 115% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kilifi, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kilifi 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 $634 in Kilifi to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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