Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bosaso

For one person, living is cheaper in Bosaso: $315 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Bosaso

🇸🇴 Somalia

$315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bosaso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $315 in Bosaso.

Phuket $1,190
Bosaso $315

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $487 in Bosaso.

Phuket $2,006
Bosaso $487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $659 in Bosaso.

Phuket $2,822
Bosaso $659

Living in Phuket is roughly 278% more expensive than in Bosaso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Bosaso 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$1.95 SOS 1,108

123.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.05 SOS 2,870

66.73%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.52 SOS 861

84.87%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.02 SOS 579

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.68 SOS 387

-32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$3.09 SOS 1,755

-44.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.42 SOS 238

271.43%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.02 SOS 1,718

12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$4.09 SOS 2,322

172.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.95 SOS 1,109

45.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$3.09 SOS 1,754

-47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.53 SOS 870

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$0.98 SOS 559

346.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.29 SOS 164

648.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.79 SOS 1,015

68.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.92 SOS 525

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.55 SOS 1,450

45.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$0.88 SOS 498

62.50%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

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

$11.41 ฿382

$10.01 SOS 5,687

13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$31.86 SOS 18.1K

-46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

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

$555 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$11.10 SOS 6,304

471.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$14.78 SOS 8,397

93.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$12.85 SOS 7,301

652.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$15.25 SOS 8,665

481.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$124 SOS 70.5K

492.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$86.4 SOS 49.1K

430.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$200 SOS 113.4K

952.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$192 SOS 108.9K

518.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$30.3K SOS 17.2M

-88.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$294 SOS 167.3K

70.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bosaso: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Bosaso

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Bosaso

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Bosaso

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Bosaso

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Bosaso

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Bosaso

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bosaso

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $124 in Bosaso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇴 Bosaso

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

74,287

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 636 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Bosaso 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bosaso

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 Bosaso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bosaso differ by about 278% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $315 including rent). Bosaso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Phuket versus $124 in Bosaso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 151% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Phuket versus $315 in Bosaso – a 278% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $315 in Bosaso versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bosaso but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bosaso 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 Bosaso 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 Bosaso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.