Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakuru and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $642 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
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Nakuru Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$642

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $642 per month in Nakuru vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Nakuru $642
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $994 per month in Nakuru vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Nakuru $994
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,346 per month in Nakuru vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Nakuru $1,346
Phuket $3,154

Nakuru is about 50% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nakuru and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nakuru 53% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 KES 499

$4.47 ฿151

-14.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.80 KES 4,519

$32.41 ฿1,094

7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 KES 849

$8.81 ฿297

-25.77%

Cappuccino

$1.94 KES 252

$2.83 ฿95.5

-31.45%

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

$0.39 KES 50.7

$0.87 ฿29.43

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.36

$0.49 ฿16.67

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 KES 294

$2.56 ฿86.4

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KES 340

$3.68 ฿124

-28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 KES 67.4

$1.66 ฿56.0

-68.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.46 ฿49.35

-69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.50 ฿50.6

5.33%

Eggs

$1.53 KES 199

$2.09 ฿70.5

-26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 KES 1,404

$19.07 ฿644

-43.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 KES 836

$3.30 ฿111

95.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 KES 828

$10.91 ฿368

-41.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 KES 437

$2.93 ฿99.0

14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 134

$1.69 ฿57.1

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 KES 269

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$2.08 ฿70.1

-47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.51 ฿51.0

-23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.38 ฿46.56

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 92.2

$1.07 ฿35.99

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.52 ฿17.52

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 KES 442

$4.20 ฿142

-19.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 KES 1,478

$18.79 ฿634

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 KES 289

$1.82 ฿61.5

21.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 KES 352

$2.84 ฿95.9

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$3.02 ฿102

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 KES 196

$1.02 ฿34.36

48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

$3.69 ฿125

-20.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.47 ฿49.81

10.20%

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

$19.6K KES 2.5M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-26.84%

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

$21.5K KES 2.8M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-19.54%

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

$55.5 KES 7,207

$96.4 ฿3,254

-42.40%

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

$15.37 KES 1,996

$11.26 ฿380

36.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,478

$16.85 ฿569

104.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 KES 1,027

$7.50 ฿253

5.47%

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

$279 KES 36.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-41.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

9.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.16 KES 3,657

$62.4 ฿2,106

-54.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,700

$28.41 ฿959

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 KES 9,085

$94.3 ฿3,184

-25.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 KES 7,537

$85.8 ฿2,898

-32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 KES 29.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

-68.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 KES 17.7K

$491 ฿16.6K

-72.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 KES 69.5K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-72.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 KES 24.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-86.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Nakuru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakuru

$200 31.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.2% $66

Accommodation & Living

Nakuru

$136 21.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 260% $355

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakuru

$105 16.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.1% $19

Eating Out

Nakuru

$93 14.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nakuru

$83 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 420% $66

Getting Around

Nakuru

$9.1 * 1.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 678% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $227 in Nakuru 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nakuru versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Nakuru vs $266 in Phuket – so Nakuru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

4 h ahead of Nakuru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,990

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nakuru Phuket 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nakuru
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

Nakuru vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $642 in Nakuru, $1,278 in Phuket – Nakuru comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $963 per month in Nakuru 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 Nakuru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $642 in Nakuru and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Nakuru about 50% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Nakuru and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nakuru, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nakuru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nakuru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.