Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Duma

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $641 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
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Duma Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Duma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $641 in Duma.

Phuket $1,278
Duma $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,014 in Duma.

Phuket $2,216
Duma $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,387 in Duma.

Phuket $3,154
Duma $1,387

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Duma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Duma 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.07 SYP 1,223

-55.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$41.95 SYP 5,098

-22.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.10 SYP 863

24.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.62 SYP 440

-21.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.22 SYP 270

-60.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.87 SYP 106

-43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.86 SYP 226

37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.10 SYP 498

-10.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.05 SYP 127

58.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.39 SYP 46.86

274.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 SYP 182

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.58 SYP 192

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.00 SYP 486

376.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.72 SYP 696

-42.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.82 SYP 1,679

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.03 SYP 125

184.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.35 SYP 164

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.10 SYP 134

104.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.07 SYP 130

94.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.78 SYP 95.3

93.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.80 SYP 97.6

72.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.40 SYP 49.04

167.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.66 SYP 80.6

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.72 SYP 330

54.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.10 SYP 741

208.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.06 SYP 129

71.70%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.02 SYP 124

196.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.56 SYP 189

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.86 SYP 955

-53.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$3.64 SYP 443

-59.62%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

76.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

37.74%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$138 SYP 16.8K

-30.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.80 SYP 1,191

14.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$46.05 SYP 5,596

-63.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.58 SYP 678

34.41%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$67.0 SYP 8,144

610.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,762 SYP 214.1K

539.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$28.82 SYP 3,502

116.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$40.14 SYP 4,878

-29.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$59.0 SYP 7,175

59.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$57.4 SYP 6,970

49.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Duma: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Duma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Duma

$169 26.3% 36.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Duma

$194 30.2% 55.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Duma

$83 13% 31.6% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Duma

$175 27.3% 43.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Duma

$11 * 1.7% 86.4% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Duma

$8.8 * 1.4% 87.5% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Duma. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $169, with Duma cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇾 Duma

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,893

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Duma 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Duma

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 Duma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duma wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $961 in Duma 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $641 in Duma – Duma is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $641 in Duma versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Duma but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Duma 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 Duma are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.