Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baabda

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
Learn more

Baabda Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baabda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,008 in Baabda.

Phuket $1,207
Baabda $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Baabda.

Phuket $2,037
Baabda $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,213 in Baabda.

Phuket $2,867
Baabda $2,213

Living in Phuket is roughly 20% more expensive than in Baabda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Baabda 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

-61.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-52.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-15.18%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

-40.87%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

-60.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

-47.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

-20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

-11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

-34.62%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

-68.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

-25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

-2.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

-1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

41.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

-15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

-24.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

41.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

62.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

-40.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

-56.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

-82.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

41.90%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-49.91%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

-18.21%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$236 LBP 21.2M

-57.97%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

-49.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

-54.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-24.90%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$686 LBP 61.4M

-18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

8.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

-8.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

-43.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$139 LBP 12.4M

-30.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$118 LBP 10.6M

-25.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Baabda

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Baabda

$277 27.5% 3.6% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Baabda

$297 29.4% 132% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Baabda

$169 16.8% 36.6% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Baabda

$228 22.7% 88.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Baabda

$20 * 2% 70.1% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Baabda

$16 * 1.6% 57.7% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $68.0 in Baabda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $277 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇧 Baabda

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

08:56 8:56 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Baabda 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baabda

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 Baabda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Baabda differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,008 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,512 in Baabda to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $686 in Baabda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda 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 Baabda are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.