Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Budaiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $812 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
Learn more

Budaiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Budaiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $812 in Budaiya.

Phuket $1,278
Budaiya $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,288 in Budaiya.

Phuket $2,216
Budaiya $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,763 in Budaiya.

Phuket $3,154
Budaiya $1,763

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than in Budaiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Budaiya 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.44 BHD 2.05

-17.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$52.2 BHD 19.67

-37.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.61 BHD 2.49

33.28%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.03 BHD 1.90

-43.74%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.84 BHD 0.32

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.28 BHD 0.11

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.78 BHD 2.56

-62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.98 BHD 3.77

-63.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.39 BHD 0.52

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.05 BHD 0.40

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-37.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 BHD 0.84

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.45 BHD 3.19

125.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.59 BHD 2.49

-49.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.45 BHD 3.19

29.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.35 BHD 0.89

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.22 BHD 0.84

-23.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 BHD 0.73

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.45 BHD 0.55

43.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 BHD 0.38

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.43 BHD 0.54

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.53 BHD 0.58

-30.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.79 BHD 0.30

-34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.37 BHD 2.03

-21.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.20 BHD 6.87

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.68 BHD 1.39

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.60 BHD 0.98

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.22 BHD 1.97

-42.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.43 BHD 1.29

-70.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.15 BHD 6.09

-77.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.69 BHD 0.26

113.04%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.5K BHD 9,987

1.13%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.9K BHD 7,509

34.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$151 BHD 57.0

-36.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.28 BHD 9.16

-53.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.89 BHD 13.16

-51.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.40 BHD 3.92

-27.88%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$614 BHD 232

-22.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K BHD 4,129

2.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$50.6 BHD 19.08

23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$57.2 BHD 21.56

-50.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$89.5 BHD 33.74

5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$88.8 BHD 33.50

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.21

-10.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budaiya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Budaiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Budaiya

$248 30.6% 6.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Budaiya

$210 25.9% 68.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Budaiya

$129 15.8% 5.6% $6.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Budaiya

$182 22.4% 49.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6% 74.7% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Budaiya

$22 * 2.8% 68.3% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Budaiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $248, with Budaiya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

30,702

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.42 BHD (1 BHD = 2.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Budaiya 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Budaiya

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 Budaiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,219 in Budaiya 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $812 in Budaiya – Budaiya is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Budaiya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.