Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
Learn more

Ismailia Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ismailia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $330 in Ismailia.

Phuket $1,208
Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $561 in Ismailia.

Phuket $2,027
Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $792 in Ismailia.

Phuket $2,845
Ismailia $792

Living in Phuket is roughly 267% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Ismailia 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.30 E£176

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$14.58 E£778

121.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.76 E£201

132.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.04 E£55.5

172.12%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.30 E£15.91

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.13 E£6.85

261.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.32 E£70.6

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.80 E£96.0

112.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.79 E£42.30

118.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.36 E£19.07

308.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.60 E£32.12

151.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.15 E£61.5

88.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$3.49 E£186

464.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.98 E£213

-16.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.95 E£371

60.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.45 E£77.3

96.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.54 E£29.05

214.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.41 E£22.01

434.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.31 E£16.79

561.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.26 E£13.89

457.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.32 E£17.12

331.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.23 E£12.31

365.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.20 E£10.67

155.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.86 E£99.5

129.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$5.48 E£293

239.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.04 E£55.4

71.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.89 E£101

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.23 E£12.26

882.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$3.77 E£201

486.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.39 E£20.60

671.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.48 E£25.72

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.13 E£60.2

241.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.42 E£22.18

245.24%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.6K E£1.5M

-4.75%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$14.6K E£780.2K

84.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$13.94 E£744

591.39%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.66 E£355

65.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$7.33 E£391

133.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$9.65 E£515

440.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.42 E£984

-39.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$1.82 E£97.4

329.12%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$65.6 E£3,502

747.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,171 E£62.5K

888.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$12.92 E£690

396.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$9.19 E£491

212.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$127 E£6,764

-24.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$27.53 E£1,470

219.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$78.3 E£4,181

841.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$31.44 E£1,679

1370.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$120 E£6,414

1644.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$75.2 E£4,017

1496.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$458 E£24.5K

660.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$131 E£6,984

1829.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$101 E£5,387

396.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 93.2% $431

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 59.8% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 77.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 36.2% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 48.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Ismailia

$13 4% 80.4% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 81% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 396% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

352,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ismailia 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 267% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 396% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 149% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ismailia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.