Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $611 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Cairo $611

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Cairo $970

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Cairo $1,329

Phuket costs about 109% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.51 E£252

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$27.00 E£1,511

20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.34 E£299

64.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.72 E£96.0

64.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.34 E£19.07

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.14 E£8.09

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.39 E£77.9

84.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.15 E£120

71.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.87 E£48.58

90.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.76 E£42.47

92.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.63 E£35.12

138.10%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.09 E£60.9

91.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$3.74 E£209

409.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.61 E£258

-28.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.42 E£471

29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.69 E£94.4

73.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.68 E£38.20

148.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.56 E£31.13

301.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.47 E£26.18

342.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.38 E£21.53

297.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.39 E£21.82

253.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.33 E£18.74

224.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.22 E£12.33

136.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.85 E£104

127.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.24 E£405

159.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.42 E£79.3

28.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.98 E£111

43.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.31 E£17.32

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$7.17 E£401

690.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.35 E£19.47

762.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.19 E£10.87

436.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.46 E£81.5

152.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.40 E£22.36

267.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$32.3K E£1.8M

-17.14%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.9K E£1.4M

7.40%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$26.70 E£1,495

260.86%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.51 E£420

49.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.02 E£785

20.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$27.01 E£1,512

148.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.15 E£400

50.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.41 E£247

70.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$117 E£6,527

308.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,269 E£182.9K

244.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$37.71 E£2,111

65.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.61 E£2,665

-40.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$109 E£6,110

-13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$55.6 E£3,114

54.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$203 E£11.4K

251.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$188 E£10.5K

161.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$524 E£29.3K

267.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$318 E£17.8K

350.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$793 E£44.4K

426.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$484 E£27.1K

529.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$185 E£10.3K

171.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.21

-65.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cairo

$188 30.7% 61.7% $303

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cairo

$131 21.5% 50.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cairo

$48 7.9% 61.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cairo

$113 18.4% 7.7% $9.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cairo

$86 14.1% 29.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cairo

$36 5.9% 56.4% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cairo

$9.7 1.6% 86.2% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $203 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $27 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $131 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Cairo 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

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

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 103% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. 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.