Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-birah Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-birah

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,232 per month in Phuket vs $1,093 in Al-birah, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Phuket vs $1,896 in Al-birah, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,279 per month in Phuket vs $2,699 in Al-birah, rent included.

Phuket costs about 13% more than Al-birah, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both Phuket and Al-birah are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 8% lower, Al-birah 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$9.44 ₪28.12

-50.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$42.04 ₪125

11.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$11.08 ₪33.02

-20.22%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.77 ₪11.22

-20.42%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.80 ₪2.38

-7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.60 ₪1.80

-38.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$5.59 ₪16.66

-56.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$5.67 ₪16.90

-36.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$2.01 ₪5.99

12.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.54 ₪1.60

240.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.63 ₪7.83

-14.83%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.16 ₪6.43

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$6.37 ₪18.99

208.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$6.51 ₪19.40

-43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$15.68 ₪46.74

-16.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.54 ₪7.56

33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.42 ₪4.23

15.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.44 ₪4.28

67.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.94 ₪5.79

4.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.08 ₪3.23

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.38 ₪4.10

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.39 ₪4.15

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.82 ₪2.43

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$7.40 ₪22.05

-39.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.78 ₪8.27

-35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.50 ₪7.46

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.01 ₪3.00

38.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$57.4 ₪171

-80.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$2.86 ₪8.54

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.32 ₪3.92

-24.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$13.83 ₪41.20

1.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.92 ₪5.73

-29.69%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$36.0K ₪107.2K

-24.46%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$45.8K ₪136.5K

-28.10%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$83.8 ₪250

49.16%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$18.53 ₪55.2

-26.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$47.19 ₪141

-60.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$57.2 ₪171

7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$27.97 ₪83.4

-39.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$8.61 ₪25.65

6.74%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$210 ₪626

232.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$3,832 ₪11.4K

306.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$41.63 ₪124

38.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$37.82 ₪113

-6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$55.6 ₪166

103.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$41.58 ₪124

107.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$358 ₪1,067

72.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$320 ₪953

39.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$836 ₪2,491

144.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$948 ₪2,824

57.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

5.62

-5.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Al-birah: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $616 in Phuket versus $358 in Al-birah. 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 $47.00 in Phuket versus $42.00 in Al-birah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $220 – making Al-birah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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-birah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,232 in Phuket, $1,093 in Al-birah – roughly 13% apart. Phuket costs more across the board, with Eating Out showing the biggest gap.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Phuket and $1,639 in Al-birah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-birah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Phuket and $42.00 in Al-birah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-birah, where all-in costs run around $1,093, than in Phuket at $1,232. In Al-birah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,093 in Al-birah to $1,232 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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