Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,121 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Al-hawiyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,121 in Al-hawiyah.

Phuket $1,294
Al-hawiyah $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Al-hawiyah.

Phuket $2,204
Al-hawiyah $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,100 in Al-hawiyah.

Phuket $3,115
Al-hawiyah $2,100

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Al-hawiyah 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$4.40 SAR 16.52

-0.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$26.04 SAR 97.7

24.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.07 SAR 26.54

23.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 SAR 5.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$2.61 SAR 9.81

4.21%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$0.68 SAR 2.54

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.23 SAR 0.86

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.88 SAR 7.05

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$0.93 SAR 3.48

55.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.15 SAR 8.07

-30.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$2.69 SAR 10.11

-19.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$5.95 SAR 22.34

220.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.65 SAR 43.72

-70.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$12.81 SAR 48.07

-14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$2.06 SAR 7.72

42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.62 SAR 6.08

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$1.82 SAR 6.82

20.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$1.49 SAR 5.59

42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.30 SAR 4.87

12.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$1.44 SAR 5.40

-4.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$1.08 SAR 4.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.73 SAR 2.74

-24.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.68 SAR 10.05

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 SAR 7.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$7.79 SAR 29.23

-43.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$1.10 SAR 4.11

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$37.15 SAR 139

47.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-10.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$2.67 SAR 10.03

-70.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.24 SAR 53.5

-73.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$0.64 SAR 2.41

132.81%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

2.69%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

23.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$65.5 SAR 246

49.44%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$34.01 SAR 128

-66.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$61.7 SAR 231

-72.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$71.1 SAR 267

-3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$14.91 SAR 56.0

-50.17%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$483 SAR 1,813

9.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$5,279 SAR 19.8K

255.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$13.32 SAR 50.0

362.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$55.5 SAR 208

-49.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$39.73 SAR 149

141.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$52.5 SAR 197

65.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$635 SAR 2,383

13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$422 SAR 1,585

20.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$824 SAR 3,092

136.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$584 SAR 2,192

139.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$1,930 SAR 7,245

117.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$1,066 SAR 4,000

209.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al-hawiyah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Al-hawiyah

$422 37.7% 17% $87

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Al-hawiyah

$217 19.3% 18.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Al-hawiyah

$161 14.4% 27.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Al-hawiyah

$72 6.5% 41% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Al-hawiyah

$91 8.2% 23.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Al-hawiyah

$101 9% 21.3% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.1% 14.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $635 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $217 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

148,151

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Al-hawiyah 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-hawiyah

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-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,121 in Al-hawiyah, so Al-hawiyah is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,682 in Al-hawiyah 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $635 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,121 in Al-hawiyah – Al-hawiyah is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-hawiyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.