Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and As Salt

For one person, living is cheaper in As Salt: $687 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in As Salt
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As Salt Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

As Salt

🇯🇴 Jordan

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in As Salt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $687 in As Salt.

Phuket $1,278
As Salt $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,084 in As Salt.

Phuket $2,216
As Salt $1,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,482 in As Salt.

Phuket $3,154
As Salt $1,482

Living in Phuket is roughly 86% more expensive than in As Salt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, As Salt 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.86 JOD 3.44

-8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$21.46 JOD 15.20

51.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.01 JOD 4.96

25.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.15 JOD 1.52

31.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.38 JOD 0.27

128.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.29 JOD 0.21

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.66 JOD 4.01

-54.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.29 JOD 3.04

-14.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.24 JOD 0.88

33.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.29 JOD 0.20

403.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-2.60%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.70 JOD 1.20

22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.63 JOD 3.28

311.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.39 JOD 2.40

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.45 JOD 8.82

-12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$1.56 JOD 1.10

87.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.47 JOD 1.04

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.43 JOD 1.01

57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.77 JOD 0.55

170.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 JOD 0.56

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.56 JOD 0.39

146.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.48 JOD 0.34

122.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.58 JOD 0.41

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.60 JOD 2.55

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.07 JOD 9.96

33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$4.33 JOD 3.07

-57.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.14 JOD 3.64

-44.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.86 JOD 0.61

68.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$28.50 JOD 20.18

98.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.59 JOD 0.42

411.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-46.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.36 JOD 0.96

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$21.2K JOD 15.0K

26.09%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$24.9K JOD 17.6K

7.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$35.00 JOD 24.78

175.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.18 JOD 7.92

0.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$14.31 JOD 10.13

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$28.58 JOD 20.24

135.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$35.32 JOD 25.01

-69.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.07 JOD 5.00

6.08%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$143 JOD 101

233.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$8,419 JOD 5,960

33.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$25.15 JOD 17.81

147.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$49.81 JOD 35.27

-42.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$48.64 JOD 34.44

93.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$28.38 JOD 20.10

202.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$142 JOD 101

402.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$155 JOD 110

216.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$244 JOD 173

689.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$286 JOD 202

400.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$561 JOD 397

-10.44%

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 As Salt: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

As Salt

$155 22.6% 68.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

As Salt

$195 28.4% 26.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

As Salt

$60 8.8% 51.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

As Salt

$68 10% 43.9% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

As Salt

$125 18.2% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

As Salt

$43 6.2% 48.1% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

As Salt

$40 5.8% 43.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $142 in As Salt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

As Salt pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in As Salt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $195 per month, with As Salt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇴 As Salt

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

107,874

💱 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket As Salt 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
As Salt

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 As Salt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Salt wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making As Salt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $142 in As Salt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in As Salt – a meal for two runs $21 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $687 in As Salt – As Salt is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $687 in As Salt versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in As Salt but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes As Salt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and As Salt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find As Salt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.