Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aja

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aja

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $434 in Aja, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Aja $434

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $700 in Aja, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Aja $700

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $966 in Aja, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Aja $966

Phuket costs about 179% more than Aja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Aja are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Aja 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.89 E£215

13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$15.29 E£845

110.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$4.67 E£258

87.58%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.25 E£69.0

126.40%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.32 E£17.80

181.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.11 E£6.35

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.32 E£72.7

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.87 E£158

33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$0.80 E£44.14

116.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$0.71 E£39.29

107.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.62 E£34.38

143.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.21 E£66.7

79.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$3.26 E£180

504.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$4.01 E£221

-16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$7.95 E£439

40.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.51 E£83.7

88.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$0.64 E£35.47

165.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.49 E£26.88

346.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$0.33 E£17.97

521.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.34 E£18.96

326.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$0.31 E£16.97

345.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.25 E£13.75

328.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.17 E£9.24

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$1.92 E£106

121.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$6.30 E£348

194.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.23 E£68.0

44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$2.02 E£111

41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.20 E£11.01

1030.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$0.36 E£19.98

736.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.16 E£9.11

562.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$1.22 E£67.2

216.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$0.46 E£25.18

215.22%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$31.6K E£1.7M

-16.57%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$24.9K E£1.4M

8.40%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$14.99 E£828

542.96%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$7.02 E£388

57.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$13.55 E£749

26.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$16.16 E£893

222.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$2.78 E£154

180.94%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$87.4 E£4,830

535.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$1,900 E£105.0K

509.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$17.08 E£944

275.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$43.98 E£2,430

-34.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$115 E£6,360

-17.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$56.1 E£3,100

56.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$131 E£7,219

464.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$77.0 E£4,254

500.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$255 E£14.1K

721.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$146 E£8,088

720.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$755 E£41.7K

361.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$347 E£19.2K

627.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.21

-65.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aja: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Aja

$77 17.8% 83.3% $385

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Aja

$119 27.3% 55.9% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Aja

$36 8.2% 71.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Aja

$105 24.1% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Aja

$74 17.1% 38.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Aja

$22 5% 67.9% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Aja

$2 * 0.5% 95% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $131 in Aja. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $15 in Aja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $119 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 Aja

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,013

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.9 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Aja 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aja

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 Aja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 179% more than Aja, 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 $1,813 per month in Phuket and $650 in Aja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $737 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $434 in Aja. That’s a gap of about 179%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $87 in Aja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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