Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ibb

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $876 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
Learn more

Ibb Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ibb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $876 in Ibb.

Phuket $1,278
Ibb $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,454 in Ibb.

Phuket $2,216
Ibb $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,033 in Ibb.

Phuket $3,154
Ibb $2,033

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ibb 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.44 YER 1,519

-30.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$18.83 YER 4,442

72.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.28 YER 2,189

-5.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 YER 480

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 YER 585

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.78 YER 891

-25.13%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.12 YER 265

-22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.46 YER 108

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.96 YER 463

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.98 YER 231

48.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.06 YER 485

-27.18%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.69 YER 871

-43.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.94 YER 3,287

36.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.14 YER 1,921

-59.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.05 YER 4,493

-42.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.30 YER 778

-11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.00 YER 236

69.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.15 YER 508

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.72 YER 405

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 YER 362

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.37 YER 322

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.88 YER 207

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.63 YER 148

-17.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.51 YER 591

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 439

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 YER 596

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.93 YER 927

6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.13 YER 503

41.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.69 YER 636

-62.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.43 YER 1,753

-50.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.06 YER 487

-28.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$16.8K YER 4.0M

59.25%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.8K YER 8.2M

-23.25%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$62.4 YER 14.7K

54.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.86 YER 3,741

-29.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.91 YER 7,054

-43.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.05 YER 1,426

23.97%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$24.36 YER 5,747

1853.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,204 YER 519.9K

410.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$29.62 YER 6,986

110.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$121 YER 28.4K

-76.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$48.16 YER 11.4K

95.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$40.48 YER 9,549

111.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$319 YER 75.2K

124.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$252 YER 59.4K

95.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$748 YER 176.4K

157.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$640 YER 150.9K

123.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$361 YER 85.1K

39.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.25

-50.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ibb

$252 28.7% 48.7% $239

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ibb

$250 28.6% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ibb

$108 12.3% 13.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ibb

$107 12.3% 11.8% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ibb

$131 15% 7.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ibb

$12 * 1.4% 85.3% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ibb

$16 * 1.8% 77.9% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $319 in Ibb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Ibb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $250 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇾🇪 Ibb

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

208,844

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ibb 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ibb

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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibb is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $319 in Ibb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $876 in Ibb – Ibb is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $876 in Ibb versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ibb wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.