Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubumbashi and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Lubumbashi and in Phuket: $1,228 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Lubumbashi vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Lubumbashi $1,228
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Lubumbashi vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Lubumbashi $2,727
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,226 per month in Lubumbashi vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Lubumbashi $4,226
Phuket $2,867

Lubumbashi costs about 2% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lubumbashi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Lubumbashi 9% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

$4.58 ฿153

116.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

$32.48 ฿1,086

205.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

$8.55 ฿286

16.02%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CDF 9,131

$2.72 ฿91.0

48.16%

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

$1.08 CDF 2,458

$0.94 ฿31.25

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CDF 4,508

$2.59 ฿86.6

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 CDF 5,756

$3.83 ฿128

-33.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CDF 4,446

$1.74 ฿58.1

12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CDF 2,764

$1.43 ฿47.82

-14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CDF 7,204

$1.53 ฿51.0

107.84%

Eggs

$2.10 CDF 4,761

$2.17 ฿72.7

-3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

$19.15 ฿640

-22.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

$3.30 ฿110

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

$11.14 ฿372

39.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

$2.95 ฿98.5

68.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 CDF 6,960

$1.68 ฿56.1

82.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

$2.30 ฿76.8

112.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 CDF 6,745

$2.13 ฿71.3

39.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CDF 5,810

$1.53 ฿51.1

67.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CDF 6,020

$1.36 ฿45.55

95.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CDF 2,220

$1.12 ฿37.44

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CDF 2,774

$0.55 ฿18.24

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 CDF 9,227

$4.26 ฿142

-4.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

$18.19 ฿608

-30.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CDF 2,600

$1.74 ฿58.2

-33.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CDF 4,719

$2.79 ฿93.3

-25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 CDF 2,289

$2.22 ฿74.1

-54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

$2.91 ฿97.3

53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

$3.83 ฿128

157.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 CDF 3,361

$1.49 ฿49.85

-0.67%

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

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-6.09%

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

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

14.48%

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

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

$99.4 ฿3,321

0.51%

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

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

$11.28 ฿377

78.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

$17.36 ฿580

247.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

$52.3 ฿1,747

40.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

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

$132 CDF 297.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

-76.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-61.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-64.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

$28.58 ฿955

-21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-38.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 CDF 2.0M

$729 ฿24.4K

18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CDF 851.7K

$460 ฿15.4K

-18.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

20.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

67.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-70.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 CDF 1.1M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-79.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

$493 ฿16.5K

115.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Lubumbashi: 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

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 22.3% $84

Groceries & Markets

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 18.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 29% $52

Eating Out

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 31.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lubumbashi

$86 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 44.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 8.4% $6.2

Getting Around

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 357% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Lubumbashi 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 116% higher in Lubumbashi, 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 $99.0 in Lubumbashi versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

5 h ahead of Lubumbashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,064

79,308

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 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 CDF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lubumbashi Phuket 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lubumbashi
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

Lubumbashi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,228 in Lubumbashi, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Lubumbashi 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 Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Lubumbashi and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Lubumbashi and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Lubumbashi at $1,228. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lubumbashi 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 $1,207 in Phuket to $1,228 in Lubumbashi. 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 Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lubumbashi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.