Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $520 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Machakos versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Machakos $520
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $802 in Machakos versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Machakos $802
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,084 in Machakos versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Machakos $1,084
Phuket $3,154

Living in Machakos costs roughly 59% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Machakos 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 KES 389

$4.47 ฿151

-33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 KES 2,500

$32.41 ฿1,093

-40.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 812

$8.81 ฿297

-28.94%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 255

$2.83 ฿95.4

-30.39%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$0.87 ฿29.40

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 KES 69.6

$0.49 ฿16.65

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 KES 281

$2.56 ฿86.3

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 KES 346

$3.68 ฿124

-27.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.39 KES 50.9

$1.66 ฿55.9

-76.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.46 ฿49.29

-67.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.50 ฿50.5

-46.67%

Eggs

$1.36 KES 177

$2.09 ฿70.5

-34.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 KES 1,413

$19.07 ฿643

-42.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 KES 826

$3.30 ฿111

92.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 KES 612

$10.91 ฿368

-56.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 KES 195

$2.93 ฿98.8

-48.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 KES 105

$1.69 ฿57.0

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.49

$2.25 ฿75.7

-83.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 KES 51.6

$2.08 ฿70.0

-80.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 102

$1.51 ฿51.0

-47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 KES 98.6

$1.38 ฿46.51

-44.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 97.6

$1.07 ฿35.95

-29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 51.1

$0.52 ฿17.50

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 KES 455

$4.20 ฿142

-16.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 KES 1,468

$18.79 ฿634

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 KES 248

$1.82 ฿61.4

4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 351

$2.84 ฿95.8

-4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$3.02 ฿102

-75.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 KES 97.8

$1.02 ฿34.32

-26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 KES 371

$3.69 ฿124

-22.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 KES 195

$1.47 ฿49.75

2.04%

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-28.59%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-18.60%

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

$57.0 KES 7,396

$96.4 ฿3,250

-40.86%

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

$7.83 KES 1,017

$11.26 ฿380

-30.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 KES 1,503

$16.85 ฿568

-31.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,060

$67.2 ฿2,268

-42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 KES 994

$7.50 ฿253

2.13%

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

$45.51 KES 5,907

$476 ฿16.1K

-90.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$11.3K ฿379.9K

9.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.62 KES 1,509

$62.4 ฿2,103

-81.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,698

$28.41 ฿958

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,923

$94.3 ฿3,180

-27.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.19 KES 4,956

$85.8 ฿2,894

-55.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.2 KES 12.2K

$716 ฿24.1K

-86.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.4 KES 9,132

$491 ฿16.6K

-85.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 KES 20.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-91.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-91.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 KES 50.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

-23.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

5.57

164.09%

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

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machakos

$161 31%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 65.4% $105

Eating Out

Machakos

$87 16.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$76 14.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 62.9% $48

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$70 13.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 598% $421

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$66 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 84.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$54 10.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 51.4% $28

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1465% $66

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 $94 in Machakos and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Machakos vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $266 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

20:40 8:40 PM

4 h ahead of Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

79,308

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Machakos Phuket 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
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

Machakos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Machakos. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $94 in Machakos versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $520 per month in Machakos versus $1,278 in Phuket – Machakos is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $520 in Machakos versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Machakos wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.