Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dakar

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,415 in Dakar, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dakar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,415 in Dakar.

Phuket $1,208
Dakar $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,220 in Dakar.

Phuket $2,027
Dakar $2,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,026 in Dakar.

Phuket $2,845
Dakar $3,026

Living in Phuket costs roughly 15% less than in Dakar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Dakar is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.23 F CFA 3,051

-15.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$52.0 F CFA 30.3K

-38.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.25 F CFA 6,561

-22.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.43 F CFA 1,999

-17.49%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.25 F CFA 728

-28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.92 F CFA 538

-48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.52 F CFA 1,469

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.24 F CFA 2,473

-9.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.60 F CFA 1,513

-33.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.76 F CFA 445

93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.66 F CFA 967

-9.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.52 F CFA 1,467

-13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.67 F CFA 10.3K

11.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.03 F CFA 5,268

-63.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.89 F CFA 6,349

2.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.27 F CFA 1,906

-12.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.86 F CFA 1,084

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.99 F CFA 1,741

-26.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.71 F CFA 999

19.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.33 F CFA 776

9.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.97 F CFA 566

42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.13 F CFA 661

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.69 F CFA 403

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.20 F CFA 1,282

93.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$17.00 F CFA 9,912

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.58 F CFA 923

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.30 F CFA 1,923

-13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.41 F CFA 239

451.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$77.0 F CFA 44.9K

-71.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.13 F CFA 1,241

41.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.20 F CFA 1,284

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

-77.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.64 F CFA 956

-11.59%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$49.7K F CFA 29.0M

-46.97%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

-43.79%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$202 F CFA 117.7K

-52.27%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.68 F CFA 6,811

-5.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$46.07 F CFA 26.9K

-62.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$44.29 F CFA 25.8K

17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$22.92 F CFA 13.4K

-51.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.32 F CFA 4,852

-6.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$327 F CFA 190.5K

70.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

10.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$58.6 F CFA 34.2K

9.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$44.95 F CFA 26.2K

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$87.1 F CFA 50.8K

9.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$97.1 F CFA 56.6K

-9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$827 F CFA 482.1K

-10.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$430 F CFA 250.9K

7.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,724 F CFA 1.0M

21.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$916 F CFA 534.2K

31.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,838 F CFA 2.8M

-27.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,494 F CFA 871.1K

68.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$341 F CFA 198.7K

46.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.75

-36.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dakar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Dakar

$430 30.4% 7% $32

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Dakar

$296 21% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Dakar

$260 18.4% 109% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Dakar

$129 9.2% 4.1% $5.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Dakar

$147 10.4% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Dakar

$61 4.3% 10.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Dakar

$92 6.5% 133% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $827 in Dakar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $52.0 in Dakar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $296 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇳 Dakar

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,396,800 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dakar 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dakar

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 Dakar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Dakar differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,415 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $827 in Dakar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,415 in Dakar – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 248% less than in Dakar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,415 in Dakar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dakar. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Dakar 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Dakar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.