Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
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Ha'il Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,073 in Ha’il.

Phuket $1,294
Ha'il $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,623 in Ha’il.

Phuket $2,204
Ha'il $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,174 in Ha’il.

Phuket $3,115
Ha'il $2,174

Living in Phuket is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ha’il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Ha’il 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$5.40 SAR 20.28

-18.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$36.86 SAR 138

-12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$5.91 SAR 22.17

47.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 SAR 4.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.60 SAR 9.77

4.62%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.61 SAR 2.30

52.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.23 SAR 0.86

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.69 SAR 6.34

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.86 SAR 3.21

68.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.88 SAR 7.05

-20.21%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.93 SAR 7.26

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$6.68 SAR 25.08

185.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.88 SAR 33.31

-61.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$8.15 SAR 30.58

33.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$1.49 SAR 5.59

97.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.52 SAR 5.70

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.27 SAR 4.77

72.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.94 SAR 7.28

9.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.29 SAR 4.85

13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.61 SAR 6.05

-14.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.23 SAR 4.61

-12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.48 SAR 1.79

14.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.77 SAR 25.42

-34.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.91 SAR 3.43

59.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$36.03 SAR 135

52.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.67 SAR 10.04

-43.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-55.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$13.27 SAR 49.82

-71.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.64 SAR 2.41

132.81%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

-13.37%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

20.88%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$52.8 SAR 198

85.11%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$21.29 SAR 79.9

-46.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$45.84 SAR 172

-62.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$66.0 SAR 248

3.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$26.26 SAR 98.6

-58.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$14.67 SAR 55.1

-49.35%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$419 SAR 1,571

26.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

54.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$42.92 SAR 161

43.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$55.5 SAR 208

-49.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$97.9 SAR 367

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$83.5 SAR 313

3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$241 SAR 904

199.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$406 SAR 1,525

25.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$361 SAR 1,355

440.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$618 SAR 2,321

125.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,982 SAR 7,437

111.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,201 SAR 4,507

174.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$1,081 SAR 4,056

-54.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ha'il

$406 37.9% 20.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ha'il

$179 16.7% 33.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ha'il

$120 11.2% 5% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ha'il

$126 11.7% 2.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ha'il

$96 8.9% 20.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ha'il

$95 8.9% 14.6% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ha'il

$51 4.8% 22.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $241 in Ha’il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ha’il pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Ha’il. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $179, with Ha’il cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

310,897

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ha'il 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $241 in Ha’il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $419 in Ha’il. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ha’il are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.