Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,334 in Douala, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. The total is higher in Douala despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Douala

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,334 in Douala, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Douala $1,334

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,160 in Douala, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Douala $2,160

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,985 in Douala, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Douala $2,985

Phuket is about 4% cheaper than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Phuket and Douala are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Douala 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.37 FCFA 2,569

2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$122 FCFA 71.4K

-73.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.93 FCFA 4,071

27.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.13 FCFA 1,252

32.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.64 FCFA 964

-46.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.76 FCFA 447

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.20 FCFA 707

113.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.61 FCFA 1,535

41.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.90 FCFA 1,705

-42.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.41 FCFA 239

256.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.18 FCFA 1,283

-31.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.85 FCFA 1,086

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.87 FCFA 4,624

-58.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.18 FCFA 3,630

76.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.60 FCFA 2,704

-36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.03 FCFA 1,190

-16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.08 FCFA 1,221

8.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.38 FCFA 813

50.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.18 FCFA 1,868

-52.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.15 FCFA 1,265

-35.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.76 FCFA 445

40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.67 FCFA 392

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.53 FCFA 1,484

66.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.59 FCFA 5,046

118.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.40 FCFA 824

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.78 FCFA 1,045

59.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.66 FCFA 389

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$17.06 FCFA 10.0K

232.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.58 FCFA 339

420.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.81 FCFA 478

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.33 FCFA 4,892

-55.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.41 FCFA 827

4.26%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$29.4K FCFA 17.3M

-9.05%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.6K FCFA 9.2M

70.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$162 FCFA 95.3K

-40.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.14 FCFA 14.8K

-55.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$178 FCFA 104.4K

-90.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$41.23 FCFA 24.2K

63.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.77 FCFA 5,152

-14.48%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$505 FCFA 296.8K

-5.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

232.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$80.1 FCFA 47.0K

-22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$68.1 FCFA 40.0K

-58.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$136 FCFA 79.9K

-30.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$147 FCFA 86.4K

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$567 FCFA 333.3K

26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$313 FCFA 183.8K

56.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,338 FCFA 786.1K

43.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$542 FCFA 318.3K

164.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

111.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$952 FCFA 559.2K

219.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$222 FCFA 130.2K

126.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.04

-70.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Douala

$313 23.4% 36.3% $178

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Douala

$277 20.8% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Douala

$365 27.4% 193% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Douala

$194 14.5% 59.2% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Douala

$102 7.7% 16% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Douala

$59 4.4% 28.5% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Douala

$24 1.8% 65.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $567 in Douala. 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 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $122 in Douala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $277 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

18:28 6:28 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Douala 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Douala

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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Douala is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,001 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Douala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $122 in Douala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,334 in Douala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,334 in Douala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.