Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Damascus

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $870 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Damascus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $870 in Damascus.

Phuket $1,278
Damascus $870

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,410 in Damascus.

Phuket $2,216
Damascus $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,951 in Damascus.

Phuket $3,154
Damascus $1,951

Living in Phuket is roughly 47% more expensive than in Damascus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Damascus 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.19 SYP 1,238

-56.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$43.30 SYP 5,262

-25.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.80 SYP 827

29.56%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.79 SYP 461

-25.33%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.28 SYP 277

-61.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.81 SYP 98.9

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.93 SYP 235

32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.05 SYP 493

-9.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.10 SYP 134

50.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.39 SYP 47.14

274.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.52 SYP 185

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.56 SYP 190

33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.01 SYP 488

375.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.61 SYP 682

-41.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.05 SYP 1,707

-22.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.07 SYP 130

173.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.41 SYP 171

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.09 SYP 132

106.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.05 SYP 128

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.80 SYP 97.0

88.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.76 SYP 92.9

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.40 SYP 49.10

167.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.62 SYP 75.3

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.72 SYP 331

54.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.98 SYP 727

214.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.09 SYP 133

66.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.94 SYP 358

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.21 SYP 25.46

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.15 SYP 1,233

458.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.02 SYP 124

196.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.53 SYP 186

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.90 SYP 961

-53.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$3.68 SYP 447

-60.05%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

77.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

41.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$140 SYP 17.0K

-31.08%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.39 SYP 1,141

19.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$45.50 SYP 5,529

-62.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$27.57 SYP 3,351

143.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.41 SYP 1,022

27.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.46 SYP 663

37.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$65.4 SYP 7,952

627.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

536.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$28.26 SYP 3,434

120.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$40.49 SYP 4,921

-29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$59.7 SYP 7,253

57.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$58.6 SYP 7,117

46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$516 SYP 62.7K

38.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$186 SYP 22.6K

163.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$846 SYP 102.8K

127.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$462 SYP 56.2K

209.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,713 SYP 208.2K

143.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$598 SYP 72.6K

409.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$79.5 SYP 9,665

531.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Damascus: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Damascus

$186 21.4% 62.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Damascus

$169 19.5% 36.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Damascus

$195 22.4% 56.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Damascus

$84 9.7% 31% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Damascus

$178 20.4% 45.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Damascus

$38 4.4% 53.2% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Damascus

$20 2.3% 72.1% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $516 in Damascus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Damascus. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $169, with Damascus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇾 Damascus

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,414,913 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Damascus 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Damascus

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 Damascus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $870 in Damascus, so Damascus is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $516 in Damascus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Damascus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $870 in Damascus – Damascus is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $870 in Damascus versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Damascus but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Damascus 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.

It comes down to priorities – Damascus wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.