Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $838 in Hawassa, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Hawassa $838

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,202 in Hawassa, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Hawassa $1,202

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,566 in Hawassa, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Hawassa $1,566

Phuket costs about 54% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Hawassa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Hawassa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.88 ETB 625

13.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$42.15 ETB 6,777

-23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$6.60 ETB 1,061

31.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$0.88 ETB 142

209.09%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.63 ETB 101

47.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.68 ETB 109

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$0.78 ETB 125

224.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.21 ETB 355

64.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.05 ETB 169

65.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.17 ETB 189

23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.03 ETB 165

45.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.58 ETB 254

37.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$7.38 ETB 1,186

158.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$10.02 ETB 1,612

-66.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$9.27 ETB 1,491

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$5.23 ETB 841

-43.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$0.63 ETB 101

168.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.24 ETB 361

-2.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$0.69 ETB 112

207.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$0.47 ETB 75.0

210.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.09 ETB 175

25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.66 ETB 106

63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.57 ETB 91.7

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$7.91 ETB 1,272

-43.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$5.65 ETB 908

223.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$0.67 ETB 108

164.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.22 ETB 197

136.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.36 ETB 218

11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.27 ETB 43.39

188.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$2.02 ETB 325

90.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.95 ETB 153

56.84%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-50.48%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

-52.56%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$205 ETB 33.0K

-52.32%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$7.48 ETB 1,202

50.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$216 ETB 34.8K

-92.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$3.81 ETB 613

95.01%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$616 ETB 99.1K

-13.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-38.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$33.38 ETB 5,368

84.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

-59.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

24.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$500 ETB 80.3K

560.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hawassa

$205 24.5% 23.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hawassa

$429 51.2% 240% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hawassa

$119 14.2% 3.2% $4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hawassa

$75 8.9% 37.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9% 90.8% $76

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3% 95.9% $63

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 in Phuket versus $42 in Hawassa. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $205 in Hawassa – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

160,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hawassa 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $838 in Hawassa – Hawassa comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,258 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $42 in Hawassa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.