Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and El Gouna

For one person, living is cheaper in El Gouna: $462 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
El Gouna, Egypt
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
El Gouna
🇪🇬 Egypt
$462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in El Gouna

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $462 in El Gouna, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • El Gouna $462

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $727 in El Gouna, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • El Gouna $727

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $991 in El Gouna, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • El Gouna $991

Phuket costs about 180% more than El Gouna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and El Gouna are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, El Gouna 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$3.63 E£198
20.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$15.64 E£855
106.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$4.48 E£245
94.20%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$1.48 E£81.0
83.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$0.31 E£17.17
200.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$0.12 E£6.42
316.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$1.25 E£68.5
102.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$3.04 E£166
19.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$0.87 E£47.50
100.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$0.57 E£31.17
154.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.69 E£37.81
117.39%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$1.45 E£79.1
49.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$3.32 E£182
475.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$4.29 E£234
-20.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$8.71 E£476
25.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$1.48 E£80.6
98.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$0.59 E£32.06
186.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$0.43 E£23.41
409.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$0.36 E£19.75
488.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$0.37 E£20.41
294.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$0.40 E£21.83
242.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$0.24 E£13.15
350.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$0.20 E£11.02
175.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$1.95 E£107
127.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$6.28 E£343
190.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$1.25 E£68.3
41.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$1.82 E£99.5
58.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.62
$0.19 E£10.53
663.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,844
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.8
$0.38 E£20.86
297.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.06
$0.31 E£17.05
151.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$1.94 E£106
97.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$0.31 E£16.82
380.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$35.7K E£2.0M
-24.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$33.4K E£1.8M
-21.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$11.91 E£651
721.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$6.85 E£374
64.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$11.17 E£611
53.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
$21.06 E£1,151
224.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$2.99 E£164
148.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$89.0 E£4,866
495.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$1,856 E£101.5K
911.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$27.96 E£1,528
120.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$44.86 E£2,451
-37.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$107 E£5,823
-9.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$50.9 E£2,783
70.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$191 E£10.4K
277.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$102 E£5,549
401.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.5K
$278 E£15.2K
600.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.9K
$155 E£8,456
802.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.8K
$796 E£43.5K
426.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.8K
$332 E£18.2K
892.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
El Gouna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
16.67
-66.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for El Gouna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
El Gouna
$102 80% $407
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
El Gouna
$123 54% $144
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
El Gouna
$30 76.3% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
El Gouna
$104 15.6% $19
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
El Gouna
$74 37.8% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
El Gouna
$27 67.5% $56
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
El Gouna
$2.7 * 95.9% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $191 in El Gouna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in El Gouna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $123 – making El Gouna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇪🇬 El Gouna
🕒 Local time
11:45 11:45 AM
06:45 6:45 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
15,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 54.65 EGP (100 EGP = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.52 EGP (100 EGP = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket El Gouna 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • El Gouna

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 El Gouna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is El Gouna cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 180%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $693 in El Gouna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in El Gouna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $721 in Phuket.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in El Gouna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $16 in El Gouna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in El Gouna?
Groceries cost about 118% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in El Gouna?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in El Gouna, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Phuket at $1,294. In El Gouna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or El Gouna more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward El Gouna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Phuket or El Gouna?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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