Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $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.

Phuket, Thailand
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,226
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,226 in Dammam.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Dammam $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,857 in Dammam.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Dammam $1,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,488 in Dammam.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Dammam $2,488

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Dammam 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$6.49 SAR 24.35
-31.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$39.23 SAR 147
-17.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$7.78 SAR 29.21
13.24%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.83 SAR 6.87
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.78 SAR 6.68
-
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$3.71 SAR 13.94
-23.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.81 SAR 3.02
7.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.28 SAR 1.04
75.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.72 SAR 6.45
-3.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$1.04 SAR 3.91
40.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.32 SAR 8.71
-35.34%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.54 SAR 9.52
-17.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$6.79 SAR 25.48
180.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$7.34 SAR 27.55
-55.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$12.93 SAR 48.52
-15.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.36 SAR 8.85
24.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.60 SAR 6.01
5.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.62 SAR 6.10
38.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.63 SAR 6.11
27.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.25 SAR 4.67
20.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.32 SAR 4.94
4.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.35 SAR 5.07
-20.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.59 SAR 2.22
-11.86%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.84 SAR 10.65
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 SAR 6.51
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.03 SAR 7.62
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$7.26 SAR 27.23
-42.15%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$1.04 SAR 3.90
39.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$40.52 SAR 152
39.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.62 SAR 9.83
15.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.89 SAR 7.10
-46.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$13.55 SAR 50.8
-72.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.65 SAR 2.42
126.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$27.1K SAR 101.8K
-1.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$23.4K SAR 87.7K
14.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$105 SAR 395
-8.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$33.70 SAR 126
-66.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$72.2 SAR 271
-76.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$94.5 SAR 354
-28.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$36.96 SAR 139
-70.97%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$14.61 SAR 54.8
-48.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$346 SAR 1,299
37.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$7,665 SAR 28.8K
46.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$56.1 SAR 210
11.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$62.8 SAR 236
-54.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$84.0 SAR 315
12.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$81.3 SAR 305
5.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$440 SAR 1,652
62.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$384 SAR 1,441
27.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$889 SAR 3,337
116.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$627 SAR 2,352
128.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$1,788 SAR 6,708
133.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$1,073 SAR 4,025
183.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Dammam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.42
26.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Dammam
$384 21.8% $107
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Dammam
$198 25.7% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Dammam
$211 69.7% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Dammam
$128 4.9% $6
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Dammam
$124 2% $2.5
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Dammam
$124 50.4% $41
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Dammam
$57 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $440 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Dammam. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $198, with Dammam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇸🇦 Dammam
🕒 Local time
05:20 5:20 AM
01:20 1:20 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
903,312
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Dammam 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Dammam

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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dammam cheaper than Phuket?
Dammam is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,839 in Dammam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Dammam?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $440 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Dammam?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,226 in Dammam – Dammam is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dammam runs roughly 28% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 enough for either Phuket or Dammam?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Dammam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Phuket or Dammam more family-friendly?
For families, Dammam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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