Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bamenda

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamenda: $670 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bamenda
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Bamenda Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bamenda

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bamenda

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $670 in Bamenda, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bamenda $670

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $897 in Bamenda, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bamenda $897

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,123 in Bamenda, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bamenda $1,123

Phuket costs about 91% more than Bamenda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Bamenda are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Bamenda 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.05 FCFA 2,951

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.52 FCFA 3,814

35.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.17 FCFA 682

141.88%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.74 FCFA 1,018

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.63 FCFA 370

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.56 FCFA 912

64.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.66 FCFA 972

121.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.78 FCFA 1,624

-40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.82 FCFA 482

78.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.94 FCFA 1,138

-22.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.96 FCFA 1,733

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.74 FCFA 2,186

-11.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.75 FCFA 2,779

129.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.59 FCFA 1,516

13.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.82 FCFA 482

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.17 FCFA 684

92.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.29 FCFA 755

61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.98 FCFA 1,741

-49.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.51 FCFA 886

-8.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.78 FCFA 455

37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.77 FCFA 451

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

142.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.62 FCFA 5,628

95.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.40 FCFA 817

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.65 FCFA 967

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.31 FCFA 764

10.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$8.99 FCFA 5,258

530.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.61 FCFA 359

395.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.62 FCFA 362

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.52 FCFA 3,230

-33.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.44 FCFA 840

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$171 FCFA 100.2K

-43.78%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$30.03 FCFA 17.6K

-62.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$42.80 FCFA 25.0K

-60.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$17.19 FCFA 10.1K

291.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.48 FCFA 4,960

-11.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$169 FCFA 99.1K

180.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$25.42 FCFA 14.9K

145.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$42.49 FCFA 24.9K

-33.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$46.74 FCFA 27.3K

101.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$51.2 FCFA 29.9K

67.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$68.7 FCFA 40.2K

942.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$33.55 FCFA 19.6K

1363.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

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

$97.3 FCFA 56.9K

416.05%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bamenda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bamenda

$34 5% 93.2% $457

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bamenda

$171 * 25.6% 35.6% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bamenda

$244 36.4% 96.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bamenda

$75 11.1% 38.8% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bamenda

$95 14.1% 22.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bamenda

$34 5.1% 58.5% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bamenda

$18 2.7% 74.6% $53

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 $69 in Bamenda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇲 Bamenda

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,735,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bamenda 9,720 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bamenda

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 Bamenda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $670 in Bamenda – Bamenda comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,006 in Bamenda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bamenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $69 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $670 in Bamenda. That makes Bamenda about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $169 in Bamenda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bamenda, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Bamenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Bamenda. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.