Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ait Melloul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ait Melloul: $693 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Ait Melloul, Morocco
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Ait Melloul
🇲🇦 Morocco
$693
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ait Melloul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $693 in Ait Melloul.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Ait Melloul $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,042 in Ait Melloul.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Ait Melloul $1,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,392 in Ait Melloul.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Ait Melloul $1,392

Living in Phuket is roughly 84% more expensive than in Ait Melloul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ait Melloul 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$3.88 MAD 38.21
15.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$25.49 MAD 251
27.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.07 MAD 59.8
45.14%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.17 MAD 21.38
30.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.88 MAD 8.63
-1.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.37 MAD 3.61
32.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.18 MAD 51.0
-50.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.38 MAD 43.18
-15.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.80 MAD 7.83
107.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.50 MAD 4.91
192.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.49 MAD 14.63
0.67%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.68 MAD 16.57
24.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$7.62 MAD 75.1
150.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$5.28 MAD 52.0
-37.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.44 MAD 113
-4.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.29 MAD 12.70
127.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.13 MAD 11.12
49.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.90 MAD 8.90
150.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.77 MAD 7.63
170.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.71 MAD 6.99
112.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.75 MAD 7.42
84.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.25 MAD 2.47
328.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.54 MAD 5.32
-3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$4.12 MAD 40.59
1.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$7.52 MAD 74.1
149.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.30 MAD 22.64
-20.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$3.36 MAD 33.08
-15.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.42 MAD 4.13
245.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$19.47 MAD 192
191.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.64 MAD 6.31
371.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.63 MAD 6.24
61.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$7.15 MAD 70.5
-48.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.47 MAD 14.48
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$30.5K MAD 300.8K
-12.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$30.9K MAD 304.3K
-13.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$24.05 MAD 237
300.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$8.97 MAD 88.4
25.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$28.86 MAD 284
-41.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$22.95 MAD 226
192.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$23.46 MAD 231
-54.26%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.14 MAD 50.7
45.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$68.6 MAD 676
593.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$1,845 MAD 18.2K
510.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$31.19 MAD 307
99.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$43.82 MAD 432
-35.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$57.7 MAD 568
63.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$46.44 MAD 457
84.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$284 MAD 2,798
152.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$203 MAD 2,000
141.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$436 MAD 4,295
341.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$259 MAD 2,550
452.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$1,153 MAD 11.4K
262.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$812 MAD 8,000
274.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Ait Melloul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.5
23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ait Melloul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Ait Melloul
$203 58.7% $288
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Ait Melloul
$174 34.6% $92
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Ait Melloul
$62 50.3% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Ait Melloul
$81 33.9% $41
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Ait Melloul
$115 5.6% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Ait Melloul
$33 59.6% $49
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Ait Melloul
$25 64.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $284 in Ait Melloul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Ait Melloul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $174 per month, with Ait Melloul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇲🇦 Ait Melloul
🕒 Local time
06:54 6:54 AM
23:54 11:54 PM
7 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
171,847
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Ait Melloul 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Ait Melloul

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 Ait Melloul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ait Melloul cheaper than Phuket?
Ait Melloul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,039 in Ait Melloul 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Ait Melloul?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $284 in Ait Melloul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $69 in Ait Melloul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Ait Melloul?
Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Ait Melloul?
At $693 in Ait Melloul versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ait Melloul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ait Melloul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Ait Melloul?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Ait Melloul?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Ait Melloul 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 Ait Melloul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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