Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Abidjan

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Abidjan: $1,190 and $1,222 a month, rent and utilities included.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
Abidjan
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
$1,222
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Abidjan

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 Abidjan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,222 in Abidjan.

  • Phuket $1,190
  • Abidjan $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $2,090 in Abidjan.

  • Phuket $2,006
  • Abidjan $2,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $2,957 in Abidjan.

  • Phuket $2,822
  • Abidjan $2,957

Living in Phuket costs roughly 3% less than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Abidjan 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$2.59 F CFA 1,513
67.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$67.8 F CFA 39.7K
-52.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$10.46 F CFA 6,119
-19.50%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$1.85 F CFA 1,080
51.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$0.72 F CFA 419
20.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$0.76 F CFA 447
-39.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$1.04 F CFA 610
149.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$1.66 F CFA 971
119.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$2.10 F CFA 1,230
-18.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$0.49 F CFA 289
195.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.14 F CFA 667
36.84%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$2.29 F CFA 1,340
-8.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$25.21 F CFA 14.8K
-22.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.73 F CFA 3,351
-40.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$6.00 F CFA 3,511
85.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$3.91 F CFA 2,287
-27.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$1.04 F CFA 608
55.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$2.09 F CFA 1,222
6.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$2.39 F CFA 1,397
-10.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$1.76 F CFA 1,032
-15.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$1.59 F CFA 932
-16.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$0.59 F CFA 345
81.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$0.86 F CFA 502
-40.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$1.75 F CFA 1,022
150.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$5.22 F CFA 3,052
259.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$1.06 F CFA 618
64.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$1.16 F CFA 679
139.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$0.92 F CFA 536
135.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
$42.81 F CFA 25.0K
-47.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$1.67 F CFA 977
80.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
$1.72 F CFA 1,008
-38.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$25.89 F CFA 15.1K
-85.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$1.51 F CFA 884
-5.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$28.1K F CFA 16.5M
-6.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$27.0K F CFA 15.8M
-3.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$163 F CFA 95.5K
-40.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$24.63 F CFA 14.4K
-53.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$35.38 F CFA 20.7K
-51.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$70.0 F CFA 41.0K
-24.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$21.29 F CFA 12.5K
-48.00%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$8.65 F CFA 5,062
-11.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$367 F CFA 214.8K
51.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
$4,608 F CFA 2.7M
144.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
$91.0 F CFA 53.2K
-30.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$36.71 F CFA 21.5K
-22.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$76.2 F CFA 44.6K
26.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$137 F CFA 80.3K
-35.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$679 F CFA 397.3K
8.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$342 F CFA 200.2K
33.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$2,604 F CFA 1.5M
-19.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$1,010 F CFA 590.9K
17.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
$2,189 F CFA 1.3M
59.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
$675 F CFA 395.2K
268.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Abidjan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$215 F CFA 126.1K
132.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
15.75
-64.63%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$458
Abidjan
$342 25.3% $116
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Abidjan
$247 7.8% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Abidjan
$223 78.3% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
Abidjan
$154 23% $29
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
Abidjan
$89 25.7% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Abidjan
$87 28.2% $19
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Abidjan
$57 44.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $679 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 132% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $68.0 in Abidjan. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $247, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇮 Abidjan
🕒 Local time
16:41 4:41 PM
09:41 9:41 AM
7 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
7,567,409
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Abidjan 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Abidjan

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 Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abidjan cheaper than Phuket?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Abidjan?
Average pay runs 132% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Abidjan?
Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Phuket versus $679 in Abidjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Abidjan?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $68.0 in Abidjan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Abidjan?
All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Phuket versus $1,222 in Abidjan – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Abidjan?
At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,222 in Abidjan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Abidjan. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Abidjan more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Abidjan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Abidjan?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Abidjan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Abidjan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?