Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,487 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,487 in Al Khobar.

Phuket $1,278
Al Khobar $1,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,252 in Al Khobar.

Phuket $2,216
Al Khobar $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,016 in Al Khobar.

Phuket $3,154
Al Khobar $3,016

Living in Phuket costs roughly 14% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Al Khobar is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.81 SAR 25.57

-34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$59.9 SAR 225

-45.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.00 SAR 30.01

10.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-36.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.87 SAR 3.26

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.40 SAR 1.52

22.50%

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

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.27 SAR 4.76

14.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.54 SAR 9.53

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.45 SAR 9.21

-14.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.28 SAR 27.33

161.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.16 SAR 38.14

-67.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.86 SAR 44.50

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.66 SAR 9.97

10.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.69 SAR 6.36

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.04 SAR 7.66

10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.75 SAR 6.56

18.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.40 SAR 5.27

7.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.65 SAR 6.20

-16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.75 SAR 6.55

-38.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.58 SAR 2.18

-10.34%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.75 SAR 25.31

-37.78%

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

$0.95 SAR 3.55

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$61.9 SAR 232

-8.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.90 SAR 10.88

4.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.58 SAR 24.68

-43.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.64 SAR 2.39

129.69%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

-60.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

23.67%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$99.4 SAR 373

-3.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.37 SAR 125

-66.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$68.9 SAR 259

-75.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$81.3 SAR 305

-17.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$36.86 SAR 138

-70.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.26 SAR 57.3

-50.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$607 SAR 2,279

-21.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

31.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$63.4 SAR 238

-1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$82.3 SAR 309

-65.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$97.8 SAR 367

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$94.4 SAR 354

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$766 SAR 2,876

-6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$583 SAR 2,189

-15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,247 SAR 4,678

54.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$906 SAR 3,401

57.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,456 SAR 5,464

186.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,072 SAR 4,025

183.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,877 SAR 7,045

-73.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.88

-5.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al Khobar

$583 39.2% 18.8% $93

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al Khobar

$220 14.8% 17.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al Khobar

$202 13.6% 62% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Khobar

$152 10.2% 24.7% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Khobar

$137 9.2% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al Khobar

$112 7.5% 36% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al Khobar

$82 5.5% 15.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $766 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $60 in Al Khobar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $220, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

219,679

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al Khobar 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al Khobar

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 Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $766 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 8% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $607 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Al Khobar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.