Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in AL Kharj

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
AL Kharj $1,966

Phuket costs about 33% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and AL Kharj are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, AL Kharj 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.79 SAR 17.99

-6.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$26.43 SAR 99.2

22.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.14 SAR 30.56

8.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.06 SAR 11.49

-7.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.85 SAR 3.21

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.12 SAR 0.44

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.49 SAR 5.58

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.28 SAR 1.06

421.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.44 SAR 9.17

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.12 SAR 7.95

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.38 SAR 38.95

83.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.95 SAR 18.59

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.09 SAR 49.13

-16.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.71 SAR 6.43

71.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.37 SAR 5.15

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.23 SAR 4.60

82.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.38 SAR 5.18

50.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.06 SAR 3.97

42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.05 SAR 3.94

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.55 SAR 2.05

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.54 SAR 2.02

-3.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.45 SAR 24.21

-34.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$23.07 SAR 86.6

145.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.66 SAR 9.97

13.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.51 SAR 1.90

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$13.22 SAR 49.59

-72.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.61 SAR 2.27

140.98%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

0.49%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

18.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$107 SAR 400

-9.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$26.42 SAR 99.2

-57.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$50.6 SAR 190

-66.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$72.4 SAR 272

-7.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$40.69 SAR 153

-73.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-44.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$289 SAR 1,084

64.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

195.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$57.5 SAR 216

8.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$52.4 SAR 197

-45.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$46.60 SAR 175

102.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$78.9 SAR 296

8.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$692 SAR 2,597

3.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$267 SAR 1,002

83.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$590 SAR 2,214

226.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$461 SAR 1,729

210.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-82.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 45.6% $224

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 34.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 47.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 13.1% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 15% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 20.6% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 60% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $692 in AL Kharj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in AL Kharj are about 5.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

425,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket AL Kharj 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
AL Kharj

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 Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $961 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $692 in AL Kharj. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Phuket at $1,278. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.