Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $462 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Alexandria
🇪🇬 Egypt
$462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $462 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Alexandria $462

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,071 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Alexandria $1,071

Phuket costs about 161% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Alexandria are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Alexandria 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$4.28 E£228
7.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$19.29 E£1,030
68.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$4.89 E£261
74.85%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$1.26 E£67.5
115.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$0.33 E£17.37
184.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$0.13 E£7.07
276.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$1.31 E£70.1
97.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$2.87 E£153
33.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$0.83 E£44.32
109.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$0.72 E£38.67
98.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$0.64 E£34.04
139.06%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$1.19 E£63.7
82.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$3.79 E£203
405.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$4.33 E£231
-23.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$9.12 E£487
22.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$1.50 E£79.9
96.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$0.75 E£40.12
124.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$0.52 E£27.98
342.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$0.35 E£18.80
508.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$0.26 E£13.90
488.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$0.32 E£17.32
325.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$0.25 E£13.28
348.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$0.21 E£11.37
161.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$1.85 E£98.6
130.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$5.58 E£298
225.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.20 E£64.3
45.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.24 E£120
24.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$0.17 E£9.02
1205.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$11.24 E£600
96.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$0.59 E£31.72
393.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$0.50 E£26.63
102.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$1.15 E£61.1
233.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$0.43 E£23.17
246.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$32.4K E£1.7M
-17.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$27.3K E£1.5M
-2.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$14.01 E£748
609.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$6.87 E£367
64.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$13.44 E£718
29.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$13.05 E£697
300.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$7.37 E£394
47.22%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$2.84 E£151
166.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
$86.5 E£4,621
545.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$2,100 E£112.2K
446.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$33.83 E£1,807
85.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$44.92 E£2,398
-36.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$129 E£6,881
-25.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$56.0 E£2,993
57.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$136 E£7,240
437.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$71.5 E£3,816
543.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$292 E£15.6K
618.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$147 E£7,828
733.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
$695 E£37.1K
397.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
$448 E£23.9K
454.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Alexandria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$141 E£7,546
248.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
21.33
-73.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Alexandria
$71 84.5% $389
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Alexandria
$126 53% $142
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Alexandria
$34 73.2% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Alexandria
$119 4.4% $5.4
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Alexandria
$78 35.6% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Alexandria
$19 72.2% $49
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Alexandria
$15 61.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $136 in Alexandria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 249% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $126 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇪🇬 Alexandria
🕒 Local time
14:58 2:58 PM
10:58 10:58 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
4,546,231
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Alexandria 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Alexandria?
Phuket costs about 161% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Alexandria?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $693 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Alexandria?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Phuket and in Alexandria?
Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $86.5 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Alexandria?
Groceries cost about 113% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Phuket or in Alexandria?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Alexandria?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $462 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Phuket compared to Alexandria?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Phuket or to Alexandria?
If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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