Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Budayyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Budayyi: $125 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Al Budayyi

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Al Budayyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $125 in Al Budayyi.

Phuket $1,207
Al Budayyi $125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $135 in Al Budayyi.

Phuket $2,037
Al Budayyi $135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $144 in Al Budayyi.

Phuket $2,867
Al Budayyi $144

Living in Phuket is roughly 869% more expensive than in Al Budayyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Al Budayyi 91% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,089

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

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

$0.94 ฿31.35

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.45

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.98

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.9

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿642

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.5

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.70

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.57

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿610

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

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

$26.7K ฿894.6K

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

$26.7K ฿895.6K

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

$99.4 ฿3,332

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

$11.28 ฿378

$19.81 BHD 7.48

-43.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿582

$105 BHD 39.57

-83.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,753

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,224

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,953

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al Budayyi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Al Budayyi

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Al Budayyi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Al Budayyi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Al Budayyi

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Al Budayyi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Al Budayyi

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Al Budayyi

–

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇭 Al Budayyi

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.422 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al Budayyi 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al Budayyi

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 Budayyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Budayyi wins on cost – living expenses run 869% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Budayyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $187 in Al Budayyi 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.

At $125 in Al Budayyi versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Budayyi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Al Budayyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Budayyi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $125 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Budayyi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Al Budayyi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al Budayyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 869% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.