Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,339 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,339

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Medina vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Medina $1,339
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,801 per month in Medina vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Medina $1,801
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,263 per month in Medina vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Medina $2,263
Phuket $2,867

Medina costs about 11% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Medina and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Medina 1% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.56 SAR 20.86

$4.58 ฿153

21.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.40 SAR 118

$32.48 ฿1,086

-3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 SAR 29.11

$8.55 ฿286

-9.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

Cappuccino

$2.69 SAR 10.11

$2.72 ฿91.0

-1.10%

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

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$0.94 ฿31.25

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.49 ฿16.39

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

$1.74 ฿58.1

-17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.53

$1.43 ฿47.82

-34.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

$1.53 ฿51.0

50.98%

Eggs

$2.03 SAR 7.61

$2.17 ฿72.7

-6.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 SAR 20.35

$19.15 ฿640

-71.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 SAR 27.04

$3.30 ฿110

118.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.61 SAR 47.32

$11.14 ฿372

13.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$2.95 ฿98.5

-17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

$2.30 ฿76.8

-0.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.53

$2.13 ฿71.3

-30.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.16

$1.53 ฿51.1

-9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$1.36 ฿45.55

-5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 SAR 3.22

$1.12 ฿37.44

-23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 SAR 2.85

$0.55 ฿18.24

38.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 SAR 27.42

$4.26 ฿142

71.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$2.22 ฿74.1

-51.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 SAR 141

$22.06 ฿737

70.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$2.91 ฿97.3

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.01 ฿33.79

61.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 SAR 21.32

$3.83 ฿128

48.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.49 ฿49.85

-57.05%

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

$41.7K SAR 156.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

56.20%

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

$20.6K SAR 77.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-22.98%

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

$152 SAR 570

$99.4 ฿3,321

52.88%

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

$27.74 SAR 104

$11.28 ฿377

145.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.7 SAR 337

$17.36 ฿580

416.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 SAR 301

$52.3 ฿1,747

53.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SAR 33.54

$10.85 ฿362

-17.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.2

$7.57 ฿253

76.88%

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

$288 SAR 1,080

$558 ฿18.7K

-48.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,525 SAR 20.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-51.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$62.9 ฿2,102

-41.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 SAR 199

$28.58 ฿955

85.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 SAR 253

$96.1 ฿3,213

-29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 SAR 260

$88.1 ฿2,943

-21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,088

$729 ฿24.4K

-23.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 SAR 1,929

$460 ฿15.4K

11.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 SAR 2,836

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-63.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,172

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-52.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,251 SAR 8,446

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-34.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,324 SAR 4,967

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-46.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,209 SAR 4,537

$493 ฿16.5K

145.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Medina: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$514 38.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 10.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$269 20.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 52.5% $141

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$190 14.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 40.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$107 8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37% $40

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 16.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$102 7.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.6% $22

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 24.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $556 in Medina 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 145% higher in Medina, 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 $31.00 in Medina versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $268 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

4 h ahead of Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medina Phuket 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina costs about 11% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,008 per month in Medina 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.

Kindergarten costs $288 per month in Medina and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 40% cheaper in Medina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Medina at $1,339. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,339 in Medina. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Medina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.