Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $885 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$885

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $885 per month in Nairobi vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Nairobi $885
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,436 per month in Nairobi vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Nairobi $1,436
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,987 per month in Nairobi vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Nairobi $1,987
Phuket $3,154

Nairobi is about 31% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nairobi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nairobi 35% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 KES 835

$4.47 ฿151

43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.51 KES 4,482

$32.41 ฿1,094

6.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 813

$8.81 ฿297

-28.94%

Cappuccino

$2.60 KES 338

$2.83 ฿95.5

-8.13%

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

$0.64 KES 82.9

$0.87 ฿29.43

-26.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 86.8

$0.49 ฿16.67

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 KES 299

$2.56 ฿86.4

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$3.68 ฿124

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 KES 123

$1.66 ฿56.0

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 KES 76.2

$1.46 ฿49.35

-59.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 KES 260

$1.50 ฿50.6

33.33%

Eggs

$1.69 KES 220

$2.09 ฿70.5

-19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 KES 1,430

$19.07 ฿644

-42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 KES 832

$3.30 ฿111

94.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 KES 832

$10.91 ฿368

-41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 KES 444

$2.93 ฿99.0

16.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$1.69 ฿57.1

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 KES 263

$2.25 ฿75.8

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 147

$2.08 ฿70.1

-45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.51 ฿51.0

-27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.38 ฿46.56

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 KES 96.0

$1.07 ฿35.99

-30.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 KES 99.1

$0.52 ฿17.52

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 KES 438

$4.20 ฿142

-19.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.65 KES 1,513

$18.79 ฿634

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KES 293

$1.82 ฿61.5

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 KES 356

$2.84 ฿95.9

-3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 KES 108

$1.45 ฿49.03

-42.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.81 KES 6,079

$56.7 ฿1,913

-17.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$3.02 ฿102

-49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

$1.02 ฿34.36

49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 KES 364

$3.69 ฿125

-24.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 KES 202

$1.47 ฿49.81

5.44%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-27.63%

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

$22.2K KES 2.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-16.77%

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

$56.7 KES 7,359

$96.4 ฿3,254

-41.18%

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

$15.25 KES 1,981

$11.26 ฿380

35.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 KES 4,516

$16.85 ฿569

106.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 KES 6,705

$67.2 ฿2,270

-23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 KES 2,031

$10.73 ฿362

45.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 KES 987

$7.50 ฿253

1.33%

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

$277 KES 36.0K

$476 ฿16.1K

-41.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.73 KES 3,601

$62.4 ฿2,106

-55.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 KES 3,812

$28.41 ฿959

3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 KES 9,000

$94.3 ฿3,184

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 KES 7,671

$85.8 ฿2,898

-31.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 KES 57.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.6K

$491 ฿16.6K

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 KES 146.9K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 KES 67.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,234 KES 160.2K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-70.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$805 KES 104.5K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-73.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$484 KES 62.9K

$502 ฿17.0K

-3.61%

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 Nairobi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$235 26.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 109% $255

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$209 23.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.1% $57

Eating Out

Nairobi

$124 14%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.6% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 16.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$67 7.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 23% $15

Getting Around

Nairobi

$59 6.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 19.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Nairobi versus $716 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 4% higher in Phuket, 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 $35 in Nairobi versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Nairobi vs $266 in Phuket – so Nairobi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

4 h ahead of Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nairobi Phuket 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nairobi
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

Nairobi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 44% more than Nairobi, 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 $1,327 per month in Nairobi and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nairobi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $441 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Nairobi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Nairobi and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $885 in Nairobi and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $885 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nairobi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.