Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
Learn more

Elmina Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Elmina

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Elmina $1,582

Phuket costs about 81% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Elmina are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Elmina 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$7.82 GHS 91.0

-41.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$50.8 GHS 591

-36.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$10.26 GHS 119

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.46 GHS 51.9

-39.01%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.53 GHS 17.85

-38.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.44 GHS 5.12

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.81 GHS 21.03

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.17 GHS 25.19

76.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$3.67 GHS 42.68

-52.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.67 GHS 19.37

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.06 GHS 35.63

-50.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.68 GHS 31.21

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.03 GHS 140

59.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.08 GHS 82.3

-53.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$9.62 GHS 112

15.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.61 GHS 41.93

-18.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.40 GHS 16.32

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.77 GHS 20.58

29.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.56 GHS 41.44

-40.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.69 GHS 31.29

-43.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.65 GHS 30.82

-48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.72 GHS 8.34

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.60 GHS 7.02

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.51 GHS 29.19

69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.06 GHS 82.1

157.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.21 GHS 14.10

43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.33 GHS 27.14

19.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.74 GHS 20.29

67.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.26 GHS 14.65

-19.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.30 GHS 50.0

-10.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.34 GHS 15.58

11.19%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

237.15%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

176.46%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$73.7 GHS 857

34.83%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.07 GHS 222

-40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$42.25 GHS 491

-58.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$12.66 GHS 147

-40.21%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$470 GHS 5,464

18.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

-38.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$14.18 GHS 165

343.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$18.59 GHS 216

53.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$36.74 GHS 427

161.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$52.0 GHS 605

69.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

26.75

-79.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 3.3% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 5.5% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 55.9% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 38.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 62.5% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 79.3% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $51.0 in Elmina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $276 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,403

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Elmina 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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