Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $692 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $692 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Ben Arous $692

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,093 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Ben Arous $1,093

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,494 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Ben Arous $1,494

Phuket costs about 85% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ben Arous are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Ben Arous 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.29 TND 15.91

-15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.75 TND 59.4

64.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.88 TND 14.68

80.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.18 TND 3.55

139.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.65 TND 1.95

33.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.25 TND 0.75

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.62 TND 4.86

58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.98 TND 5.93

85.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.48 TND 1.43

245.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.10 TND 0.30

1360.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.62 TND 4.85

-7.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.41 TND 4.24

48.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.39 TND 31.21

83.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.86 TND 17.61

-43.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.99 TND 51.0

-35.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.66 TND 4.97

76.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$4.44 TND 13.35

-61.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.94 TND 2.82

139.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.75 TND 2.26

177.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.85 TND 2.54

77.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.65 TND 1.97

112.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.48 TND 1.43

122.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.31 TND 0.92

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.52 TND 10.56

19.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.61 TND 19.86

184.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.96 TND 2.89

89.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.23 TND 3.69

130.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.38 TND 1.15

281.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$13.41 TND 40.30

322.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.29 TND 0.86

941.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.29 TND 0.86

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.83 TND 5.51

101.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.80 TND 2.40

83.75%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$39.3K TND 118.0K

-31.84%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.7K TND 68.1K

17.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$54.1 TND 163

78.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.23 TND 30.74

10.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.21 TND 60.7

-16.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$32.52 TND 97.7

106.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.90 TND 50.8

-36.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.03 TND 15.10

49.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$62.2 TND 187

665.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,924 TND 5,779

485.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$43.82 TND 132

42.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$61.2 TND 184

-53.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$86.3 TND 259

9.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$46.70 TND 140

83.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$208 TND 624

244.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$152 TND 458

221.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$379 TND 1,140

407.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$269 TND 808

431.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$909 TND 2,731

359.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$419 TND 1,260

625.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$249 TND 747

101.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.5

-46.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ben Arous

$152 22% 68.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ben Arous

$202 29.2% 24.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ben Arous

$85 12.2% 32.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ben Arous

$107 15.5% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ben Arous

$87 12.6% 28.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ben Arous

$43 6.2% 48.2% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 76.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $208 in Ben Arous. 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 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $20 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $202 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

08:12 8:12 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

88,322

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ben Arous 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $692 in Ben Arous – Ben Arous comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,038 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $20 in Ben Arous. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $692 in Ben Arous. That makes Ben Arous about 46% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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

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