Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Byumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $411 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
Learn more

Byumba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Byumba

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $411 in Byumba, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Byumba $411

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $661 in Byumba, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Byumba $661

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $911 in Byumba, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Byumba $911

Phuket costs about 193% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Byumba are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Byumba 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.79 RWF 4,098

64.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$31.03 RWF 45.6K

4.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.92 RWF 10.2K

23.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.40 RWF 3,529

13.33%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.80 RWF 1,172

17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.57 RWF 844

-14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.00 RWF 1,471

159.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.30 RWF 3,381

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.81 RWF 1,194

114.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.04 RWF 1,525

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.32 RWF 1,941

15.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.58 RWF 2,327

37.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.25 RWF 6,253

350.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.72 RWF 6,945

-30.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$4.55 RWF 6,696

144.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.36 RWF 3,469

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.81 RWF 1,195

107.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.49 RWF 2,184

54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.03 RWF 1,516

106.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.48 RWF 701

218.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.72 RWF 1,053

88.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.66 RWF 969

69.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.83 RWF 1,214

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.02 RWF 2,969

110.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.25 RWF 15.1K

77.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.98 RWF 1,441

77.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.53 RWF 2,254

82.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.79 RWF 4,103

4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.07 RWF 3,044

-51.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.48 RWF 5,117

10.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.90 RWF 2,792

-21.58%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$26.6K RWF 39.1M

0.33%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.0K RWF 44.0M

-10.84%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$84.7 RWF 124.6K

17.26%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.16 RWF 10.5K

57.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$20.68 RWF 30.4K

-16.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$3.30 RWF 4,855

129.39%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$113 RWF 166.3K

393.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$9,444 RWF 13.9M

21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$17.53 RWF 25.8K

258.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$15.63 RWF 23.0K

82.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$22.27 RWF 32.7K

331.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$34.25 RWF 50.4K

157.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.2

-65.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Byumba: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Byumba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Byumba

$152 36.9% 43.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Byumba

$113 27.4% 12.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Byumba

$40 9.8% 67.5% $84

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Byumba

$87 21.1% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Byumba

$6.6 * 1.6% 90.2% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Byumba

$13 * 3.2% 66.2% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $31.00 in Byumba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $152 – making Byumba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇼 Byumba

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

03:18 3:18 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,134

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Byumba 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Byumba

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 Byumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 193% more than Byumba, 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 $1,811 per month in Phuket and $617 in Byumba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $31.00 in Byumba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $411 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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