Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al `arish

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $427 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Al `arish, Egypt
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Al `arish
🇪🇬 Egypt
$427
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Al `arish

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 Al `arish actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $427 in Al `arish.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Al `arish $427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $684 in Al `arish.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Al `arish $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $940 in Al `arish.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Al `arish $940

Living in Phuket is roughly 203% more expensive than in Al `arish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Al `arish 68% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$3.81 E£211
15.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,090
$14.41 E£797
124.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿294
$4.40 E£243
97.73%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.9
$1.11 E£61.2
145.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.39
$0.32 E£17.94
190.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.85
$0.13 E£7.04
284.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.4
$1.36 E£75.3
86.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$2.74 E£152
32.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.7
$0.80 E£44.01
117.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.95
$0.32 E£17.53
353.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.61 E£33.93
145.90%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.3
$1.27 E£70.3
70.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿644
$2.26 E£125
744.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿115
$3.37 E£186
0.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿368
$7.41 E£410
47.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿99.2
$1.40 E£77.5
110.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$0.56 E£30.97
201.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿74.0
$0.40 E£22.21
447.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.7
$0.33 E£17.98
542.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.21
$0.41 E£22.49
256.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.15
$0.43 E£23.64
218.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.30
$0.25 E£13.74
332.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.41
$0.19 E£10.36
189.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$1.79 E£99.1
147.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿616
$4.40 E£243
314.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.8
$1.01 E£55.8
75.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿97.2
$1.54 E£85.2
87.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.84
$0.17 E£9.53
752.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,852
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.28 E£15.64
439.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.18
$0.37 E£20.51
110.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿130
$1.15 E£63.6
233.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.2
$0.40 E£22.08
272.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿907.0K
$29.9K E£1.7M
-9.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿888.9K
$23.4K E£1.3M
12.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,300
$14.23 E£787
587.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿381
$6.74 E£372
67.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿580
$23.26 E£1,286
-26.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,305
$15.12 E£836
351.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿368
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿251
$3.62 E£200
105.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.9K
$79.4 E£4,388
568.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿633.7K
$2,230 E£123.3K
742.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,081
$9.85 E£544
526.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿953
$43.67 E£2,414
-35.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,239
$149 E£8,211
-35.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,929
$51.4 E£2,844
68.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.3K
$124 E£6,875
479.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.2K
$72.3 E£3,997
603.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.8K
$240 E£13.3K
711.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.1K
$137 E£7,569
920.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿141.4K
$713 E£39.4K
487.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿111.3K
$334 E£18.5K
887.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Al `arish
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
22.5
-75.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al `arish: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Al `arish
$72 85.8% $437
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Al `arish
$100 62.4% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Al `arish
$44 65% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Al `arish
$114 7.1% $8.7
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Al `arish
$71 40.6% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Al `arish
$22 73.1% $61
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Al `arish
$2.8 * 95.7% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $124 in Al `arish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $14 in Al `arish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $100 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇪🇬 Al `arish
🕒 Local time
04:49 4:49 AM
23:49 11:49 PM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
199,243
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 55.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.83 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Al `arish 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Al `arish

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 Al `arish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Al `arish?
Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Al `arish?
You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $641 in Al `arish 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Al `arish?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $124 in Al `arish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Al `arish?
Supermarket bills run roughly 166% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Al `arish?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $427 in Al `arish – Al `arish is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Phuket or in Al `arish?
At $427 in Al `arish versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Al `arish?
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.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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