Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ikeja

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,415 in Ikeja, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ikeja outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Ikeja
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Ikeja Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Ikeja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$2,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ikeja

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $2,415 in Ikeja, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Ikeja $2,415

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $4,119 in Ikeja, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Ikeja $4,119

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $5,822 in Ikeja, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Ikeja $5,822

Phuket is about 50% cheaper than Ikeja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Ikeja is 79% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$0.50 ₦670

816.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$11.16 ₦14.8K

191.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.69 ₦10.2K

11.18%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.87 ₦3,815

-5.23%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.13 ₦168

623.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.07 ₦91.8

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.29 ₦382

793.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.05 ₦2,731

86.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.77 ₦1,027

125.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.73 ₦975

95.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.26 ₦1,675

21.43%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.28 ₦3,026

-4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$3.45 ₦4,591

455.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.93 ₦5,226

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$4.56 ₦6,067

144.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.71 ₦2,276

72.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.28 ₦1,709

31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.14 ₦1,521

101.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.27 ₦1,692

67.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.37 ₦1,824

11.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.35 ₦1,792

0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.90 ₦1,194

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.37 ₦491

48.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$0.59 ₦788

622.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$2.43 ₦3,227

648.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.54 ₦725

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$0.46 ₦617

506.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.11 ₦141

1918.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$3.41 ₦4,533

546.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.71 ₦942

309.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.97 ₦1,292

4.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.16 ₦2,873

77.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.16 ₦206

831.25%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$11.1K ₦14.8M

140.22%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$13.5K ₦17.9M

98.32%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$112 ₦149.5K

-11.60%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$14.52 ₦19.3K

-22.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$33.03 ₦43.9K

-47.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.33 ₦8,413

19.59%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$679 ₦902.6K

-17.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$20.2K ₦26.9M

-43.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$14.93 ₦19.9K

321.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$18.29 ₦24.3K

56.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$36.31 ₦48.3K

164.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$48.50 ₦64.5K

81.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$3,485 ₦4.6M

-79.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,989 ₦2.6M

-76.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$6,487 ₦8.6M

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$5,007 ₦6.7M

-75.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$74.2 ₦98.7K

564.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.39

-69.71%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ikeja: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Ikeja

$2K 82.4% 332% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Ikeja

$123 5.1% 53.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Ikeja

$160 6.6% 25% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ikeja

$53 2.2% 57.2% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Ikeja

$68 2.8% 44.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Ikeja

$13 * 0.5% 81.2% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Ikeja

$9.4 0.4% 75.8% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $3,485 in Ikeja. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 564% higher in Phuket, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $11.00 in Ikeja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $123 – making Ikeja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇬 Ikeja

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

861,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ikeja 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ikeja

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 Ikeja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ikeja costs about 100% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $3,623 in Ikeja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 117% cheaper in Ikeja – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $11.00 in Ikeja. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Ikeja at $2,415. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ikeja it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $2,415 in Ikeja. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ikeja makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.