Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in 'ali: $818 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in 'ali
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'ali Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

'ali

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in 'ali

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $818 in 'ali, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
'ali $818

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,299 in 'ali, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
'ali $1,299

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,779 in 'ali, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
'ali $1,779

Phuket costs about 48% more than 'ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and 'ali are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, 'ali 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$53.3 BHD 20.13

-39.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$7.44 BHD 2.81

14.92%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.4

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-45.71%

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

$0.94 ฿31.38

$0.90 BHD 0.34

4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$0.30 BHD 0.11

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$6.73 BHD 2.54

-61.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$10.18 BHD 3.84

-62.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.42 BHD 0.54

22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.02

$1.07 BHD 0.40

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-32.30%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.22 BHD 0.84

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$8.64 BHD 3.26

121.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.45 BHD 2.44

-48.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$8.86 BHD 3.34

25.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$2.30 BHD 0.87

28.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$1.92 BHD 0.73

19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.40 BHD 0.53

52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.04 BHD 0.39

47.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.74

$1.35 BHD 0.51

0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

$1.50 BHD 0.57

-25.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$0.78 BHD 0.30

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$5.32 BHD 2.01

-19.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$18.80 BHD 7.10

-3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$3.61 BHD 1.36

-51.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$2.57 BHD 0.97

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$5.42 BHD 2.05

-46.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

$3.46 BHD 1.31

-70.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$15.80 BHD 5.96

-75.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$0.70 BHD 0.26

112.86%

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

$26.7K ฿895.4K

$36.7K BHD 13.9K

-27.33%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

$20.1K BHD 7,592

32.79%

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

$99.4 ฿3,335

$151 BHD 57.0

-34.14%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$24.17 BHD 9.12

-53.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$35.75 BHD 13.49

-51.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,755

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$10.67 BHD 4.03

-29.05%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$495 BHD 187

12.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

$11.2K BHD 4,228

2.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$51.9 BHD 19.58

21.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$57.3 BHD 21.62

-50.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$89.2 BHD 33.66

7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

$89.2 BHD 33.67

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$3,823 BHD 1,443

-87.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.21

-10.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for 'ali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

'ali

$250 30.5% 6.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

'ali

$211 25.8% 64.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

'ali

$129 15.8% 4.3% $5.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

'ali

$184 22.5% 51.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

'ali

$21 * 2.6% 68.4% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

'ali

$23 * 2.8% 41.6% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 675% higher in 'ali, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $53.0 in 'ali. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $250 in 'ali – so 'ali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇭 'ali

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

100,553

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.422 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket 'ali 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
'ali

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 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,227 in 'ali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $53.0 in 'ali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in 'ali, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Phuket at $1,207. In 'ali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward 'ali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with 'ali. 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.