Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $616 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
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Mogadishu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Mogadishu versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Mogadishu $616
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $949 in Mogadishu versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Mogadishu $949
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,282 in Mogadishu versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Mogadishu $1,282
Phuket $2,845

Living in Mogadishu costs roughly 49% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mogadishu 55% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 SOS 1,681

$4.40 ฿147

-32.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

$32.26 ฿1,078

8.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 SOS 2,573

$8.76 ฿293

-48.29%

Cappuccino

$2.03 SOS 1,155

$2.83 ฿94.5

-28.27%

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

$1.20 SOS 680

$0.90 ฿30.14

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.47 ฿15.56

12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 SOS 720

$1.73 ฿57.7

-26.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 SOS 897

$1.47 ฿49.11

7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 SOS 449

$1.51 ฿50.6

-47.68%

Eggs

$1.95 SOS 1,107

$2.17 ฿72.7

-10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 SOS 2,913

$19.70 ฿658

-73.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 SOS 2,189

$3.34 ฿112

15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 SOS 2,585

$11.16 ฿373

-59.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 SOS 2,169

$2.85 ฿95.1

34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 SOS 555

$1.70 ฿56.9

-42.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SOS 1,727

$2.19 ฿73.3

38.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 SOS 745

$2.05 ฿68.4

-36.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SOS 876

$1.45 ฿48.57

6.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 SOS 1,000

$1.38 ฿46.16

27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 SOS 861

$1.07 ฿35.69

42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.51 ฿16.91

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SOS 1,156

$1.78 ฿59.7

14.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 SOS 298

$2.26 ฿75.6

-76.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SOS 577

$3.01 ฿101

-66.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 SOS 325

$1.06 ฿35.34

-46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 SOS 1,744

$3.86 ฿129

-20.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 SOS 485

$1.45 ฿48.45

-41.38%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-76.20%

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

$161 SOS 91.6K

$96.4 ฿3,221

67.37%

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

$4.89 SOS 2,778

$11.04 ฿369

-55.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

$17.14 ฿573

287.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

$52.2 ฿1,744

-39.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

$556 ฿18.6K

-86.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$771 SOS 438.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-93.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.11 SOS 8,013

$64.2 ฿2,146

-78.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.82 SOS 7,848

$28.69 ฿959

-51.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

$95.4 ฿3,187

-73.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-62.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.6K

$737 ฿24.6K

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

$462 ฿15.5K

-83.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 SOS 267.0K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-77.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 SOS 107.8K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-84.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,145 SOS 1.8M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-9.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,428 SOS 1.4M

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-3.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 SOS 159.2K

$501 ฿16.7K

-44.01%

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 Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mogadishu

$233 37.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 46.4% $108

Groceries & Markets

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 65.6% $106

Accommodation & Living

Mogadishu

$77 12.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 504% $386

Eating Out

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 76.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mogadishu

$38 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 223% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 115% $36

Getting Around

Mogadishu

$6 * 1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 560% $33

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 $198 in Mogadishu and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 79% 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: $35.00 in Mogadishu vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $162 vs $269, with Mogadishu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

4 h ahead of Mogadishu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,610,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mogadishu Phuket 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mogadishu
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

Mogadishu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogadishu wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mogadishu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Phuket. 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: $198 in Mogadishu versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $77.4 in Mogadishu versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mogadishu – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $616 in Mogadishu versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mogadishu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mogadishu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mogadishu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $616 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mogadishu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mogadishu and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.