Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $916 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aqaba

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $916 in Aqaba, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Aqaba $916

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,507 in Aqaba, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Aqaba $1,507

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,098 in Aqaba, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Aqaba $2,098

Phuket costs about 40% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Aqaba are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Aqaba 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.75 JOD 1.95

62.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$71.2 JOD 50.4

-54.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.17 JOD 2.95

111.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.46 JOD 3.16

-36.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.59 JOD 0.42

47.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.58 JOD 0.41

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$8.58 JOD 6.07

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$11.05 JOD 7.82

-66.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.45 JOD 1.02

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.47 JOD 0.33

210.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-2.60%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.73 JOD 1.22

20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.69 JOD 4.03

235.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.20 JOD 2.97

-21.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.65 JOD 6.83

13.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.39 JOD 0.99

110.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.44 JOD 1.02

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.08 JOD 0.77

108.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.74 JOD 0.53

181.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.74 JOD 0.52

104.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.73 JOD 0.51

89.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.59 JOD 0.41

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.57 JOD 0.41

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.92 JOD 2.78

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.26 JOD 12.22

8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.81 JOD 1.99

-35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.52 JOD 1.79

12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.50 JOD 0.36

504.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-25.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.91 JOD 4.89

-46.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.44 JOD 1.02

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$31.5K JOD 22.3K

-14.88%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.2K JOD 22.1K

-14.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$135 JOD 95.4

-28.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.70 JOD 11.11

-28.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$32.92 JOD 23.30

-48.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$64.3 JOD 45.51

4.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.12 JOD 7.87

-32.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$538 JOD 381

-11.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,836 JOD 2,007

297.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.03 JOD 19.84

122.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$42.43 JOD 30.03

-33.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$42.20 JOD 29.87

123.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$70.0 JOD 49.51

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$286 JOD 202

150.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$209 JOD 148

134.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$681 JOD 482

182.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$463 JOD 328

208.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,119 JOD 792

273.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$565 JOD 400

439.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$564 JOD 399

-10.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Aqaba

$209 22.9% 57.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Aqaba

$189 20.7% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Aqaba

$183 20% 47.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aqaba

$82 9% 32.6% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aqaba

$158 17.2% 29.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Aqaba

$87 9.5% 5.2% $4.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8% 89.6% $63

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 $286 in Aqaba. 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 12% higher in Aqaba, 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 in Phuket versus $71 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $189 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

140,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, 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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Aqaba 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,374 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $916 in Aqaba. That makes Aqaba about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $538 in Aqaba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aqaba costs $916 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.