Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ongata Rongai and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $572 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$572

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $572 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ongata Rongai $572
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $881 in Ongata Rongai versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ongata Rongai $881
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,190 in Ongata Rongai versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ongata Rongai $1,190
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ongata Rongai costs roughly 55% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ongata Rongai 58% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 KES 851

$4.47 ฿151

46.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.07 KES 2,475

$32.41 ฿1,093

-41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 KES 805

$8.81 ฿297

-29.63%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$2.83 ฿95.4

-31.10%

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

$0.29 KES 38.27

$0.87 ฿29.41

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 50.9

$0.49 ฿16.65

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 297

$2.56 ฿86.3

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 KES 352

$3.68 ฿124

-26.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 KES 57.7

$1.66 ฿55.9

-73.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 61.9

$1.46 ฿49.31

-67.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.50 ฿50.5

5.33%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 178

$2.09 ฿70.5

-34.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.35 KES 565

$19.07 ฿643

-77.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 KES 456

$3.30 ฿111

6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.37 KES 438

$10.91 ฿368

-69.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$2.93 ฿98.9

-57.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 KES 140

$1.69 ฿57.0

-36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 KES 153

$2.25 ฿75.8

-47.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.2

$2.08 ฿70.0

-68.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 KES 95.2

$1.51 ฿51.0

-51.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.4

$1.38 ฿46.52

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 91.9

$1.07 ฿35.96

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$0.52 ฿17.51

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 KES 297

$4.20 ฿142

-45.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 KES 1,173

$18.79 ฿634

-51.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 KES 285

$1.82 ฿61.5

20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 KES 363

$2.84 ฿95.8

-1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 KES 205

$3.02 ฿102

-47.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 KES 196

$1.02 ฿34.33

48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 KES 381

$3.69 ฿125

-20.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 KES 201

$1.47 ฿49.76

5.44%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-27.66%

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

$22.1K KES 2.9M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-17.19%

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

$54.8 KES 7,115

$96.4 ฿3,251

-43.11%

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

$14.99 KES 1,946

$11.26 ฿380

33.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.02 KES 4,546

$16.85 ฿568

107.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 KES 998

$7.50 ฿253

2.53%

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

$273 KES 35.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-42.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K KES 1.6M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

10.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.87 KES 3,617

$62.4 ฿2,104

-55.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.51 KES 3,830

$28.41 ฿958

3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 KES 9,052

$94.3 ฿3,181

-26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 KES 7,725

$85.8 ฿2,895

-30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 KES 20.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-78.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-76.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 KES 30.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-87.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 KES 30.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-83.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Ongata Rongai: 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

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 107% $137

Accommodation & Living

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 325% $375

Eating Out

Ongata Rongai

$114 20%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.7% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 45.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 435% $67

Getting Around

Ongata Rongai

$9.1 * 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 675% $61

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 $156 in Ongata Rongai and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Ongata Rongai vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $129 vs $266 per month, with Ongata Rongai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

4 h ahead of Ongata Rongai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,569

79,308

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ongata Rongai Phuket 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ongata Rongai
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

Ongata Rongai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ongata Rongai is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $858 in Ongata Rongai and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $156 in Ongata Rongai versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Ongata Rongai versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ongata Rongai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $572 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ongata Rongai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ongata Rongai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.