Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,030 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
Learn more

Adama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Adama

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,030 in Adama, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Adama $1,030

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,702 in Adama, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Adama $1,702

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,374 in Adama, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Adama $2,374

Phuket costs about 24% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Adama are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Adama 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.06 ETB 492

46.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$43.00 ETB 6,919

-24.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 ETB 801

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.90 ETB 144

214.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.58 ETB 93.8

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.31 ETB 50.5

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.83 ETB 134

208.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.31 ETB 372

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.77 ETB 124

115.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.17 ETB 188

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.20 ETB 353

-31.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.80 ETB 289

16.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.35 ETB 1,183

159.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.09 ETB 1,624

-67.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.40 ETB 1,513

16.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.51 ETB 887

-46.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.69 ETB 111

144.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.14 ETB 344

5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.70 ETB 113

197.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.50 ETB 80.9

202.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.09 ETB 175

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.69 ETB 111

55.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.57 ETB 91.2

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.88 ETB 1,268

-46.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.78 ETB 931

225.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.70 ETB 113

160.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.28 ETB 206

121.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.28 ETB 206

135.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.27 ETB 42.87

277.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.03 ETB 326

81.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.90 ETB 145

63.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$55.8K ETB 9.0M

-51.97%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

-51.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$206 ETB 33.1K

-53.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.50 ETB 1,206

50.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$215 ETB 34.6K

-92.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.83 ETB 617

95.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$611 ETB 98.2K

-22.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-63.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$32.75 ETB 5,270

90.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$72.3 ETB 11.6K

-60.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$79.9 ETB 12.9K

18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$82.3 ETB 13.2K

4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$352 ETB 56.6K

103.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$198 ETB 31.9K

147.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$980 ETB 157.7K

96.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$815 ETB 131.1K

75.54%

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

$98.7 ETB 15.9K

408.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Adama

$198 19.2% 59.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Adama

$211 20.5% 20.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Adama

$428 41.6% 244% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Adama

$120 11.7% 1.4% $1.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Adama

$63 6.1% 48.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.7% 90.7% $75

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 96.3% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $352 in Adama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $43 in Adama. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $211 in Adama – so Adama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

228,623

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Adama 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,030 in Adama – Adama comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,545 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $43 in Adama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,030 in Adama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,030 in Adama to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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