Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 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 Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $517 per month in Malindi vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Malindi $517
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $803 per month in Malindi vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Malindi $803
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,090 per month in Malindi vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Malindi $1,090
Phuket $3,154

Malindi is about 60% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malindi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Malindi 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 KES 277

$4.47 ฿151

-52.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.30 KES 3,284

$32.41 ฿1,093

-21.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 KES 1,355

$8.81 ฿297

18.50%

Cappuccino

$2.70 KES 351

$2.83 ฿95.4

-4.59%

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

$0.68 KES 88.5

$0.87 ฿29.41

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$0.49 ฿16.65

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 298

$2.56 ฿86.3

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 KES 419

$3.68 ฿124

-12.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 KES 117

$1.66 ฿55.9

-45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.3

$1.46 ฿49.31

-65.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$1.50 ฿50.5

-16.67%

Eggs

$1.83 KES 237

$2.09 ฿70.5

-12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 KES 1,480

$19.07 ฿643

-40.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 KES 647

$3.30 ฿111

50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.89 KES 635

$10.91 ฿368

-55.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 KES 269

$2.93 ฿98.9

-29.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 KES 101

$1.69 ฿57.0

-53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$2.25 ฿75.8

-21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.7

$2.08 ฿70.0

-65.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$1.51 ฿51.0

-52.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.0

$1.38 ฿46.52

-52.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 KES 77.1

$1.07 ฿35.96

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 KES 58.8

$0.52 ฿17.51

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 KES 540

$4.20 ฿142

-0.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 KES 1,276

$18.79 ฿634

-47.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 KES 261

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 KES 384

$2.84 ฿95.8

4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 KES 408

$3.02 ฿102

3.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 KES 231

$1.02 ฿34.33

74.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 KES 596

$3.69 ฿125

24.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 KES 178

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.80%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-55.00%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-55.02%

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

$76.0 KES 9,870

$96.4 ฿3,251

-21.08%

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

$8.99 KES 1,166

$11.26 ฿380

-20.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 KES 3,924

$16.85 ฿568

79.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.62 KES 5,013

$67.2 ฿2,268

-42.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 KES 2,002

$7.50 ฿253

105.60%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

-82.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,381 KES 698.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-52.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.28 KES 1,723

$62.4 ฿2,104

-78.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.38 KES 1,737

$28.41 ฿958

-52.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.49 KES 3,049

$94.3 ฿3,181

-75.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.81 KES 6,076

$85.8 ฿2,895

-45.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 KES 49.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-80.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

133.39%

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

Last update for Malindi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$173 33.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 54.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$115 22.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 8% $9.2

Eating Out

Malindi

$104 20.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$69 13.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 18.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$44 8.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 179% $78

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 486% $59

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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 $25 in Malindi versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $266 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

4 h ahead of Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

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 = 2.65 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malindi Phuket 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
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

Malindi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 147% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $775 per month in Malindi and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Malindi and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Malindi 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 $517 in Malindi to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.