Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ahmadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahmadi: $1,234 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ahmadi
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Ahmadi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ahmadi

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ahmadi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,234 in Ahmadi, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Ahmadi $1,234

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,051 in Ahmadi, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Ahmadi $2,051

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,869 in Ahmadi, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Ahmadi $2,869

Phuket costs about 4% more than Ahmadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ahmadi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Ahmadi 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.13 KWD 2.53

-45.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$43.64 KWD 13.56

-25.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.80 KWD 2.42

12.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KWD 0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 KWD 0.51

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.25 KWD 1.32

-33.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.55 KWD 0.17

58.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.27 KWD 0.39

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.82 KWD 0.26

78.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.64 KWD 0.51

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.38 KWD 0.43

51.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$3.29 KWD 1.02

479.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.73 KWD 1.47

-30.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.13 KWD 3.15

7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.48 KWD 0.46

97.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.47 KWD 0.46

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.12 KWD 0.35

100.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.78 KWD 0.24

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.46 KWD 0.14

228.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.46 KWD 0.14

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.27 KWD 0.40

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.54 KWD 0.17

-3.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.16 KWD 0.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.72 KWD 0.85

54.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.99 KWD 0.31

46.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$29.12 KWD 9.05

94.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.31 KWD 1.03

-8.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$3.24 KWD 1.01

-68.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$16.10 KWD 5.00

-77.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.32 KWD 0.10

359.37%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$23.1K KWD 7,175

15.97%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$18.4K KWD 5,708

45.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$64.4 KWD 20.01

49.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.99 KWD 4.97

-29.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.40 KWD 9.45

-44.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$116 KWD 35.93

-41.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$31.67 KWD 9.84

-66.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.54 KWD 3.27

-28.84%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$95.1 KWD 29.54

400.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$9,381 KWD 2,915

20.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$37.76 KWD 11.73

65.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$39.95 KWD 12.41

-28.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$95.9 KWD 29.80

-1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$87.0 KWD 27.05

-1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$643 KWD 200

11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$538 KWD 167

-8.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,583 KWD 492

21.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,229 KWD 382

16.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,111 KWD 967

34.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,481 KWD 771

22.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,436 KWD 1,068

-85.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.67

19.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ahmadi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ahmadi

$538 43.6% 9.7% $47

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ahmadi

$135 11% 49.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ahmadi

$111 9% 11% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ahmadi

$117 9.5% 3.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ahmadi

$143 11.6% 17.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ahmadi

$137 11.1% 66.3% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ahmadi

$53 4.3% 25.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $643 in Ahmadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ahmadi are about 6.8 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 $44 in Ahmadi. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $135 in Ahmadi – so Ahmadi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Ahmadi

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

31,422

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.311 KWD (1 KWD = 3.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ahmadi 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ahmadi

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 Ahmadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,851 in Ahmadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahmadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $95 in Ahmadi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,234 in Ahmadi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ahmadi – 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.