Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and El Kef

For one person, living is cheaper in El Kef: $614 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in El Kef
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El Kef Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

El Kef

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $614 in El Kef, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
El Kef $614

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $964 in El Kef, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
El Kef $964

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,315 in El Kef, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
El Kef $1,315

Phuket costs about 108% more than El Kef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and El Kef are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, El Kef 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.48 TND 16.52

-18.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$13.42 TND 40.43

141.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.61 TND 13.89

91.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$0.69 TND 2.06

310.14%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.51 TND 1.54

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.24 TND 0.72

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.88 TND 2.66

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$0.99 TND 3.00

271.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.46 TND 1.39

260.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.19 TND 0.58

668.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.86 TND 5.59

-19.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.47 TND 4.44

42.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.59 TND 43.95

30.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.26 TND 18.87

-47.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.12 TND 45.56

-27.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.67 TND 5.03

75.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.67 TND 5.02

1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.03 TND 3.10

118.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.61 TND 1.85

240.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.41 TND 1.24

268.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.16 TND 0.47

762.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.48 TND 1.46

122.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.31 TND 0.94

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.39 TND 10.22

23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.34 TND 13.06

332.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.65 TND 1.95

180.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.00 TND 3.00

184.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.32 TND 0.98

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$10.25 TND 30.89

452.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.29 TND 0.87

941.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.29 TND 0.87

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.04 TND 12.16

-8.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.77 TND 2.33

90.91%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$39.6K TND 119.4K

-32.42%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$37.2K TND 112.0K

-28.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$26.84 TND 80.9

258.98%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.40 TND 31.34

8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.31 TND 43.10

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$27.31 TND 82.3

146.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.59 TND 37.93

-14.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.35 TND 10.09

123.88%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$61.1 TND 184

678.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,944 TND 5,857

479.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.19 TND 69.9

168.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$68.6 TND 207

-58.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$40.51 TND 122

132.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$76.5 TND 230

12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$208 TND 626

244.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$158 TND 477

209.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$370 TND 1,116

420.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$270 TND 812

430.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$938 TND 2,825

345.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$619 TND 1,864

392.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$171 TND 514

194.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Kef: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

El Kef

$158 25.8% 67.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

El Kef

$187 30.5% 29.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

El Kef

$52 8.4% 58.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Kef

$94 15.3% 22.9% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Kef

$75 12.3% 38.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

El Kef

$34 5.5% 58.6% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

El Kef

$13 2.2% 81.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $208 in El Kef. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $13 in El Kef. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $187 – making El Kef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇳 El Kef

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

73,710

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket El Kef 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
El Kef

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 Kef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $920 in El Kef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Kef, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 82% less in El Kef. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $61 in El Kef. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in El Kef, where all-in costs run around $614, than in Phuket at $1,278. In El Kef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Kef – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with El Kef. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.