Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Al Wakrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,443 in Al Wakrah, 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Al Wakrah
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Al Wakrah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Al Wakrah

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,443 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Al Wakrah $1,443

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,567 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Al Wakrah $2,567

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,690 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Al Wakrah $3,690

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Al Wakrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.21 QAR 15.33

6.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$40.40 QAR 147

-19.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.57 QAR 20.26

58.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.96 QAR 43.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 QAR 48.71

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.71 QAR 20.78

-50.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.76 QAR 2.78

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.26 QAR 0.94

88.46%

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

$2.08 QAR 7.56

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.40 QAR 5.10

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.85 QAR 6.75

-18.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.06 QAR 11.15

-31.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.87 QAR 21.38

224.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.71 QAR 28.06

-57.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.64 QAR 27.83

42.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.18 QAR 7.95

34.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.84 QAR 6.70

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.54 QAR 5.60

46.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.22 QAR 4.43

70.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.78 QAR 2.84

93.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.77 QAR 2.79

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.09 QAR 3.95

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.51 QAR 1.85

1.96%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.73 QAR 35.42

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 QAR 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 QAR 8.14

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.20 QAR 15.30

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

$0.56 QAR 2.05

158.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.88 QAR 6.84

60.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.00 QAR 7.29

-49.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$13.67 QAR 49.76

-73.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.54 QAR 1.95

172.22%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$24.6K QAR 89.4K

8.98%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$21.8K QAR 79.3K

22.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$86.7 QAR 316

11.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$34.61 QAR 126

-67.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$86.5 QAR 315

-80.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$134 QAR 489

-49.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.49 QAR 34.56

-20.97%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$735 QAR 2,674

-35.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,459 QAR 34.4K

19.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$25.86 QAR 94.1

141.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$20.92 QAR 76.2

35.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$100.0 QAR 364

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$82.3 QAR 299

4.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,056 QAR 3,844

-32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$660 QAR 2,402

-25.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,064 QAR 7,511

-6.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,989 QAR 7,241

-28.09%

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

$4,314 QAR 15.7K

-88.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Wakrah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Al Wakrah

$660 45.7% 34.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Al Wakrah

$182 12.6% 31.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Al Wakrah

$208 14.4% 66.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Wakrah

$103 7.1% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Al Wakrah

$123 8.5% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Al Wakrah

$153 10.6% 86.5% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Al Wakrah

$14 * 1% 80% $56

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 $1,056 in Al Wakrah. 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 Wakrah are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $40 in Al Wakrah. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $182 in Al Wakrah – so Al Wakrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇶🇦 Al Wakrah

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

87,970

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Al Wakrah 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Al Wakrah

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 Wakrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Al Wakrah is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,165 in Al Wakrah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,056 in Al Wakrah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $40 in Al Wakrah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Al Wakrah – 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 Wakrah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.