Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arusha

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $552 in Arusha, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Arusha $552

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $887 in Arusha, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Arusha $887

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,222 in Arusha, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Arusha $1,222

Phuket costs about 119% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Arusha are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Arusha 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.33 TZS 8,723

32.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

20.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

-4.78%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.66 TZS 4,356

70.48%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.87 TZS 2,284

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.32 TZS 842

46.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.02 TZS 2,659

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.81 TZS 7,351

36.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.98 TZS 2,578

76.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.68 TZS 1,773

116.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.66 TZS 4,344

-9.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.74 TZS 4,552

24.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.32 TZS 6,066

22.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.78 TZS 2,039

162.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.49 TZS 1,284

195.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.07 TZS 2,795

28.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.78 TZS 2,046

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.50 TZS 3,927

184.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.98 TZS 2,563

81.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$0.91 TZS 2,387

213.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.19 TZS 496

1089.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

-48.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.31 TZS 3,441

10.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

244.95%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

28.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

-62.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

66.17%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

54.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$278 TZS 727.8K

165.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$239 TZS 626.7K

93.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$494 TZS 1.3M

323.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$524 TZS 1.4M

129.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Arusha

$239 43.3% 48.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Arusha

$65 * 11.8% 75.7% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Arusha

$83 15% 33.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Arusha

$90 16.2% 26% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Arusha

$75 13.5% 10% $6.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 98.1% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $278 in Arusha. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $65.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

617,631

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Arusha 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $552 in Arusha – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $829 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $552 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 119%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Arusha. 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.