Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-Qurain

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,444 in Al-Qurain, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Al-Qurain
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Al-Qurain Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al-Qurain

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,444

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,444 in Al-Qurain, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Al-Qurain $1,444

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,407 in Al-Qurain, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Al-Qurain $2,407

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,371 in Al-Qurain, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Al-Qurain $3,371

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Al-Qurain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Al-Qurain is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.68 KWD 3.91

-64.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$64.9 KWD 20.01

-50.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.98 KWD 2.77

-1.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 KWD 1.46

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.15 KWD 1.59

-45.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.70 KWD 0.22

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 KWD 0.49

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.46 KWD 0.45

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-22.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.05 KWD 0.63

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.38 KWD 1.35

335.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.71 KWD 2.07

-50.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.08 KWD 3.11

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.42 KWD 0.75

21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.87 KWD 0.58

20.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.48 KWD 0.46

40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.31 KWD 0.40

15.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.42 KWD 0.44

-2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.36 KWD 0.73

-54.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.54 KWD 0.17

-3.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.68 KWD 0.82

56.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.85 KWD 0.26

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.89 KWD 1.51

-38.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.19 KWD 0.98

-68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.11 KWD 4.96

-77.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.36 KWD 0.11

308.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$23.4K KWD 7,225

14.19%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.0K KWD 6,167

33.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$64.2 KWD 19.78

50.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.45 KWD 6.92

-49.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.56 KWD 9.11

-43.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$106 KWD 32.71

-36.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.00 KWD 4.01

-42.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$498 KWD 154

-4.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,315 KWD 2,870

20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$37.72 KWD 11.62

65.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.32 KWD 12.11

-27.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$98.7 KWD 30.42

-4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$90.1 KWD 27.76

-4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$745 KWD 230

-3.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$673 KWD 207

-27.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,643 KWD 506

17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,476 KWD 455

-3.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,483 KWD 1,381

-88.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al-Qurain: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al-Qurain

$673 46.6% 37% $182

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al-Qurain

$185 12.8% 30.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al-Qurain

$116 8.1% 6.6% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-Qurain

$120 8.3% 1.8% $2.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al-Qurain

$194 13.4% 59.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al-Qurain

$132 9.2% 60.7% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al-Qurain

$24 * 1.7% 65.6% $46

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 $745 in Al-Qurain. 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-Qurain are about 8.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $65 in Al-Qurain. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $185 in Al-Qurain – so Al-Qurain wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Al-Qurain

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,458

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al-Qurain 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-Qurain

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-Qurain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Al-Qurain is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,165 in Al-Qurain. 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 $745 in Al-Qurain. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $65 in Al-Qurain. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Al-Qurain – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – 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.

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