Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,230 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,230 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Al-Ula $1,230

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,822 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Al-Ula $1,822

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,414 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Al-Ula $2,414

Phuket costs about 5% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Al-Ula are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Al-Ula 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$7.49 SAR 28.12

-41.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$37.71 SAR 142

-14.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$7.94 SAR 29.80

9.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.20 SAR 12.02

-15.00%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.88 SAR 3.30

5.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.25 SAR 0.94

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.94 SAR 7.26

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.24 SAR 4.64

16.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.35 SAR 8.81

-36.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.43 SAR 9.11

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$7.55 SAR 28.35

152.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.07 SAR 30.29

-57.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$12.55 SAR 47.10

-13.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.13 SAR 8.00

38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.53 SAR 5.73

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.56 SAR 5.86

40.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.64 SAR 6.14

29.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.26 SAR 4.74

15.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.28 SAR 4.79

7.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.27 SAR 4.77

-14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 SAR 2.05

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.76 SAR 25.38

-34.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.07 SAR 4.03

35.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$37.17 SAR 140

47.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.65 SAR 9.96

-43.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.56 SAR 5.85

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$16.08 SAR 60.3

-76.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.69 SAR 2.58

115.94%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$30.1K SAR 112.9K

-10.61%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

19.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$112 SAR 419

-12.33%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$32.23 SAR 121

-64.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$74.4 SAR 279

-76.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$83.8 SAR 315

-18.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-46.55%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$460 SAR 1,728

15.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$11.0K SAR 41.3K

70.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$37.58 SAR 141

64.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$56.7 SAR 213

-50.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$99.3 SAR 373

-3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$84.9 SAR 318

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$604 SAR 2,266

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$393 SAR 1,474

29.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$900 SAR 3,379

116.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$612 SAR 2,295

128.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,857 SAR 6,969

125.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,089 SAR 4,088

202.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al-Ula: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Al-Ula

$393 31.9% 22.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Al-Ula

$204 16.6% 23.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Al-Ula

$218 17.7% 72.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Al-Ula

$125 10.2% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Al-Ula

$127 10.3% 6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Al-Ula

$112 9.1% 34.2% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Al-Ula

$52 4.2% 21.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $604 in Al-Ula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $38 in Al-Ula. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $204 in Al-Ula – so Al-Ula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,413

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 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 = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Al-Ula 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,230 in Al-Ula – Al-Ula comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,845 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $460 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,230 in Al-Ula, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al-Ula – 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.