Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $756 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$756

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $756 per month in Mbabane vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Mbabane $756
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,214 per month in Mbabane vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Mbabane $1,214
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Mbabane vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Mbabane $1,672
Phuket $3,115

Mbabane is about 42% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mbabane and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Mbabane 44% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.17 SZL 169

$4.39 ฿148

131.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.37 SZL 556

$32.31 ฿1,090

3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 SZL 100

$8.70 ฿294

-30.80%

Cappuccino

$2.61 SZL 43.40

$2.72 ฿91.9

-4.04%

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

$1.11 SZL 18.52

$0.93 ฿31.39

19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 SZL 9.43

$0.50 ฿16.85

14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SZL 34.65

$2.53 ฿85.4

-17.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 SZL 39.17

$3.63 ฿122

-35.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 SZL 25.37

$1.74 ฿58.7

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 SZL 14.13

$1.45 ฿48.95

-41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 SZL 27.87

$1.50 ฿50.7

11.33%

Eggs

$1.78 SZL 29.69

$2.17 ฿73.3

-17.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 SZL 181

$19.09 ฿644

-43.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 SZL 93.3

$3.40 ฿115

65.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 SZL 87.0

$10.90 ฿368

-52.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 29.10

$2.94 ฿99.2

-40.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 SZL 10.99

$1.69 ฿57.1

-60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 SZL 20.09

$2.19 ฿74.0

-44.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 SZL 23.43

$2.12 ฿71.7

-33.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.86

$1.46 ฿49.21

-14.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 SZL 24.72

$1.37 ฿46.15

8.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 SZL 11.13

$1.08 ฿36.30

-37.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 SZL 12.79

$0.55 ฿18.41

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 SZL 46.18

$4.43 ฿149

-37.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 SZL 102

$18.25 ฿616

-66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SZL 26.57

$1.77 ฿59.8

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SZL 27.25

$2.88 ฿97.2

-43.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 SZL 12.30

$1.45 ฿48.84

-48.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 SZL 23.78

$0.78 ฿26.18

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 SZL 51.5

$3.84 ฿130

-19.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 SZL 22.12

$1.49 ฿50.2

-10.74%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

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

$65.2 SZL 1,086

$97.8 ฿3,300

-33.33%

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

$37.37 SZL 622

$11.29 ฿381

231.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.65 SZL 444

$17.19 ฿580

55.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.34 SZL 372

$68.3 ฿2,305

-67.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.08 SZL 51.3

$10.92 ฿368

-71.79%

Cinema Ticket

$3.52 SZL 58.6

$7.43 ฿251

-52.62%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,211 SZL 103.4K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-66.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.83 SZL 580

$61.7 ฿2,081

-43.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.14 SZL 252

$28.25 ฿953

-46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 SZL 1,156

$96.0 ฿3,239

-27.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.4 SZL 905

$86.8 ฿2,929

-37.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,447

$721 ฿24.3K

-62.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 SZL 2,937

$509 ฿17.2K

-65.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 SZL 7,509

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-76.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 SZL 5,945

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-74.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$488 SZL 8,129

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-88.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 SZL 6,040

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-89.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

5.57

30.16%

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

Last update for Mbabane: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$181 23.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 47.8% $86

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$176 23.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 188% $332

Eating Out

Mbabane

$153 20.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 21.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$129 17.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 2.3% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$78 10.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 57% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$29 3.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 183% $54

Getting Around

Mbabane

$10 * 1.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 554% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Mbabane versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mbabane versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Mbabane vs $267 in Phuket – so Mbabane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

5 h ahead of Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 SZL (100 SZL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 SZL (100 SZL = 5.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SZL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbabane Phuket 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
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

Mbabane vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 71% more than Mbabane, 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 $1,135 per month in Mbabane and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbabane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $756 in Mbabane and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Mbabane about 42% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $756 in Mbabane to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.