Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bujumbura

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $643 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Bujumbura
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Bujumbura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Bujumbura

🇧🇮 Burundi

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bujumbura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $643 in Bujumbura.

Phuket $1,207
Bujumbura $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,177 in Bujumbura.

Phuket $2,037
Bujumbura $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,711 in Bujumbura.

Phuket $2,867
Bujumbura $1,711

Living in Phuket is roughly 88% more expensive than in Bujumbura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Bujumbura 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.77 BIF 11.3K

21.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$66.3 BIF 197.9K

-50.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$3.72 BIF 11.1K

129.84%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.98 BIF 8,915

-8.72%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.72 BIF 5,127

-45.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.34 BIF 3,990

-63.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.21 BIF 6,612

17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.60 BIF 19.7K

-41.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.02 BIF 3,057

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.98 BIF 5,929

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.99 BIF 5,933

-23.12%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.54 BIF 10.6K

-38.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.44 BIF 25.2K

126.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$11.26 BIF 33.6K

-70.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.23 BIF 33.6K

-0.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.92 BIF 17.7K

-50.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.95 BIF 5,835

17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.64 BIF 4,890

29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.96 BIF 5,864

-71.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$11.28 BIF 33.7K

61.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.12 BIF 6,340

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.92 BIF 11.7K

-28.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.04 BIF 3,115

113.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$29.48 BIF 88.1K

-25.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$5.16 BIF 15.4K

-43.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$3.27 BIF 9,756

-69.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$29.72 BIF 88.8K

-87.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.37 BIF 4,089

8.76%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

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

$11.28 ฿377

$8.02 BIF 24.0K

40.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$67.7 BIF 202.1K

-74.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$26.48 BIF 79.1K

97.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$1.63 BIF 4,861

364.42%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$98.3 BIF 293.5K

468.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$9,907 BIF 29.6M

15.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$430 BIF 1.3M

69.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$91.1 BIF 272.1K

404.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,351 BIF 4.0M

55.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$272 BIF 812.4K

349.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,996 BIF 6.0M

73.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,634 BIF 4.9M

52.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$375 BIF 1.1M

31.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.17

-60.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bujumbura: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Bujumbura

$91 14.2% 80.2% $369

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Bujumbura

$278 * 43.2% 3.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Bujumbura

$76 * 11.8% 40.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bujumbura

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Bujumbura

$114 17.7% 6.4% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Bujumbura

$30 4.6% 55.9% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Bujumbura

$55 8.6% 41.8% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $430 in Bujumbura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 32% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $66.0 in Bujumbura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $278 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

658,859

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BIF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,987 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD). 1 EUR = 3,358 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bujumbura 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bujumbura

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 Bujumbura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $430 in Bujumbura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $643 in Bujumbura – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 34% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $643 in Bujumbura versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bujumbura 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 Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.