Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buraydah

For one person, living is cheaper in Buraydah: $1,226 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Buraydah
Learn more

Buraydah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Buraydah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buraydah

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,226 in Buraydah, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Buraydah $1,226

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,036 in Buraydah, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Buraydah $2,036

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,845 in Buraydah, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Buraydah $2,845

Phuket costs about 4% more than Buraydah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Buraydah are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Buraydah 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.15 SAR 49.35

-66.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$39.53 SAR 148

-18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.99 SAR 29.99

10.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.54 SAR 13.27

-20.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.79 SAR 2.96

10.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.26 SAR 0.97

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.67 SAR 6.25

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 SAR 4.14

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.53 SAR 9.51

-40.71%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.89 SAR 10.83

-27.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.31 SAR 31.19

129.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.57 SAR 24.64

-49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.28 SAR 8.57

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.83 SAR 6.87

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.74 SAR 6.53

29.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.75 SAR 6.58

18.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.40 SAR 5.25

7.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.30 SAR 4.88

6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.05 SAR 3.94

1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.67 SAR 2.52

-22.39%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.23 SAR 23.36

-32.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.08 SAR 4.05

34.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$37.57 SAR 141

50.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.62 SAR 9.85

15.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.70 SAR 10.13

-62.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.75 SAR 62.9

-77.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.59 SAR 2.22

149.15%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$42.2K SAR 158.4K

-36.56%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.0K SAR 86.2K

16.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$69.9 SAR 262

37.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$31.54 SAR 118

-64.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$70.1 SAR 263

-75.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$138 SAR 517

-51.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$35.66 SAR 134

-69.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-50.30%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$269 SAR 1,010

76.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,800 SAR 14.3K

196.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$52.1 SAR 196

19.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$54.4 SAR 204

-47.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$80.4 SAR 301

17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$70.9 SAR 266

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$700 SAR 2,628

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$332 SAR 1,245

47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$905 SAR 3,397

112.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$827 SAR 3,104

72.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,949 SAR 7,313

114.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,335 SAR 5,008

128.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,467 SAR 9,256

-79.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.98

39.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buraydah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Buraydah

$332 27.1% 32.4% $159

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Buraydah

$205 16.7% 23% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Buraydah

$172 14% 37.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buraydah

$116 9.5% 4.8% $5.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buraydah

$176 14.3% 44.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Buraydah

$168 13.7% 104% $86

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Buraydah

$58 4.7% 17.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $700 in Buraydah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Buraydah are about 4.9 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $40 in Buraydah. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $205 in Buraydah – so Buraydah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Buraydah

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

467,410

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Buraydah 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buraydah

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 Buraydah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 4% more than Buraydah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,839 in Buraydah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $700 in Buraydah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,226 in Buraydah. That makes Buraydah about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Buraydah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,226 in Buraydah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,226 in Buraydah to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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