Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $671 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
Learn more

Hawalli Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hawalli

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $671 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Hawalli $671

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,803 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Hawalli $2,803

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,935 in Hawalli, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Hawalli $4,935

Phuket costs about 90% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Hawalli are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Hawalli 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.75 KWD 1.46

-5.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$64.4 KWD 19.85

-49.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.79 KWD 2.71

0.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 KWD 0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.97 KWD 1.53

-43.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.41 KWD 0.13

112.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.55 KWD 0.48

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.54 KWD 0.47

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.87 KWD 0.58

-19.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.16 KWD 0.67

-3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.26 KWD 1.00

484.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-32.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$3.24 KWD 1.00

236.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.48 KWD 0.76

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.88 KWD 0.58

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.79 KWD 0.55

25.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.47 KWD 0.45

41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.30 KWD 0.40

16.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.26 KWD 0.70

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.54 KWD 0.17

-3.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 KWD 0.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.70 KWD 0.83

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.83 KWD 0.25

74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$47.44 KWD 14.62

19.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-37.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.12 KWD 0.96

-67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.04 KWD 4.94

-77.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.33 KWD 0.10

345.45%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$23.5K KWD 7,228

14.17%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.9K KWD 6,130

34.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$66.4 KWD 20.46

45.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.73 KWD 7.01

-50.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.39 KWD 7.83

-33.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$65.6 KWD 20.22

2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.92 KWD 3.98

-41.95%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$508 KWD 157

-6.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,335 KWD 2,877

20.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$31.60 KWD 9.74

97.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$39.30 KWD 12.11

-27.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$97.9 KWD 30.16

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$88.1 KWD 27.14

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$3,276 KWD 1,010

-56.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,871 KWD 577

-73.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 43.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hawalli

$115 17.1% 8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hawalli

$116 17.2% 5.2% $6.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hawalli

$127 18.9% 4.2% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hawalli

$91 13.6% 11.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hawalli

$71 10.6% 0.9% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Hawalli are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $64 in Hawalli. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $151 in Hawalli – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

164,212

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hawalli 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hawalli

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 Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $671 in Hawalli – Hawalli comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,006 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $64 in Hawalli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $671, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hawalli costs $671 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.