Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,062 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Abha

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Abha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,062 in Abha, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Abha $1,062

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,754 in Abha, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Abha $1,754

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,445 in Abha, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Abha $2,445

Phuket costs about 20% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Abha are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Abha 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.36 SAR 20.12

-16.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$50.4 SAR 189

-35.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.61 SAR 28.57

15.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.21 SAR 12.05

-11.84%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.58 SAR 2.18

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.22 SAR 0.82

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.63 SAR 6.11

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.59 SAR 2.22

147.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.01 SAR 7.53

-25.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.08 SAR 11.57

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.36 SAR 16.35

337.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.46 SAR 27.99

-55.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.35 SAR 68.8

-40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.00 SAR 7.49

46.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.91 SAR 7.17

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.58 SAR 5.94

42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.65 SAR 6.18

26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.21 SAR 8.28

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.27 SAR 4.75

8.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.37 SAR 1.41

189.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.47 SAR 1.78

10.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.34 SAR 16.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.39 SAR 35.22

-55.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.80 SAR 3.00

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$37.99 SAR 143

49.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.01 SAR 11.31

0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.73 SAR 10.24

-62.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$13.48 SAR 50.6

-72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.64 SAR 2.39

129.69%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.2K SAR 109.4K

-8.16%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.7K SAR 74.0K

35.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$87.8 SAR 329

9.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$37.47 SAR 141

-69.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$76.2 SAR 286

-77.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$93.4 SAR 350

-28.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$44.58 SAR 167

-75.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.19 SAR 60.7

-53.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$213 SAR 798

123.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,133 SAR 15.5K

172.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$31.20 SAR 117

99.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$70.1 SAR 263

-59.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$96.0 SAR 360

-1.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$65.8 SAR 247

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$317 SAR 1,189

125.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$251 SAR 942

95.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$539 SAR 2,023

257.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$560 SAR 2,101

155.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$934 SAR 3,504

347.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,313 SAR 4,929

131.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,204 SAR 8,271

-77.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Abha

$251 23.6% 48.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Abha

$200 18.9% 24.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Abha

$201 19% 61.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Abha

$118 11.1% 2.9% $3.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Abha

$107 10.1% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Abha

$126 11.8% 52.9% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Abha

$58 5.5% 18% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $317 in Abha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Abha are about 4.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $50 in Abha. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $200 in Abha – so Abha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

236,157

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Abha 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Abha

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

Phuket vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 20% more than Abha, 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 $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,593 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $317 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $50 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,062 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.