Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hafar Al Batin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hafar Al Batin: $1,202 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Hafar Al Batin
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Hafar Al Batin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hafar Al Batin

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,202 in Hafar Al Batin.

Phuket $1,294
Hafar Al Batin $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,766 in Hafar Al Batin.

Phuket $2,204
Hafar Al Batin $1,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,330 in Hafar Al Batin.

Phuket $3,115
Hafar Al Batin $2,330

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Hafar Al Batin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Hafar Al Batin 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.22 SAR 23.33

-29.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$34.60 SAR 130

-6.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$8.78 SAR 32.94

-0.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SAR 9.48

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$3.42 SAR 12.82

-20.47%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$0.79 SAR 2.95

17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.28 SAR 1.03

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.00 SAR 7.52

-13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$1.14 SAR 4.29

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.35 SAR 8.80

-36.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$2.35 SAR 8.83

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$7.42 SAR 27.85

157.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.07 SAR 30.30

-57.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$12.94 SAR 48.57

-15.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$2.15 SAR 8.09

36.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$1.57 SAR 5.90

39.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$1.63 SAR 6.11

30.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.23 SAR 4.63

18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$1.34 SAR 5.02

2.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$1.21 SAR 4.53

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.57 SAR 2.14

-3.51%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 SAR 7.58

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.58 SAR 24.68

-32.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$1.21 SAR 4.54

19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$33.12 SAR 124

65.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$2.89 SAR 10.85

-47.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$1.48 SAR 5.55

-47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.96 SAR 56.1

-74.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$0.66 SAR 2.46

125.76%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$26.1K SAR 98.1K

2.89%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$24.0K SAR 90.0K

9.83%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$117 SAR 439

-16.44%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$28.31 SAR 106

-60.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$57.3 SAR 215

-70.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$89.2 SAR 335

-23.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$11.83 SAR 44.39

-37.19%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$421 SAR 1,581

25.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$10.6K SAR 39.9K

76.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$41.63 SAR 156

48.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$58.9 SAR 221

-52.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$101 SAR 379

-4.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$93.1 SAR 349

-6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$610 SAR 2,290

18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$379 SAR 1,424

34.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$932 SAR 3,499

109.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$560 SAR 2,103

149.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$2,033 SAR 7,630

106.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$1,080 SAR 4,054

205.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,416 SAR 5,315

-65.28%

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 Hafar Al Batin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hafar Al Batin

$379 31.6% 25.4% $129

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hafar Al Batin

$205 17.1% 23% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hafar Al Batin

$203 16.9% 60.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hafar Al Batin

$133 11% 8% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hafar Al Batin

$121 10.1% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hafar Al Batin

$113 9.4% 35.6% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hafar Al Batin

$48 4% 27% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $610 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hafar Al Batin pays about 2.9 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 $35 in Hafar Al Batin. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $205, with Hafar Al Batin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Hafar Al Batin

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

19:03 7:03 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

271,642

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 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 = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 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 = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hafar Al Batin 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafar Al Batin wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hafar Al Batin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% 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 $610 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $421 in Hafar Al Batin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% 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. Hafar Al Batin 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 Hafar Al Batin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.