Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $498 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
Learn more

Jalalabad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $498 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Jalalabad $498

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $682 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Jalalabad $682

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $866 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Jalalabad $866

Phuket costs about 157% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Jalalabad are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Jalalabad 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.28 ؋148

96.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$7.83 ؋508

313.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.88 ؋252

127.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.76 ؋49.16

272.37%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

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

$0.89 ؋57.6

86.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.40 ؋25.78

265.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.88 ؋122

-20.21%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.69 ؋110

23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.49 ؋356

247.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.73 ؋177

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.03 ؋392

80.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.65 ؋42.24

350.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.60 ؋39.06

181.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.74 ؋48.14

204.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.47 ؋30.53

342.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.36 ؋23.57

319.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.29 ؋19.13

375.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.33 ؋21.12

224.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.30 ؋19.45

73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.29 ؋149

83.41%

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

$0.15 ؋9.65

866.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.80 ؋701

424.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.74 ؋48.18

308.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.48 ؋30.87

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.51 ؋97.8

144.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.05 ؋68.3

40.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$8,330 ؋540.6K

221.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$22.69 ؋1,472

324.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$231 ؋15.0K

-92.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$7.84 ؋509

757.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.57 ؋296

134.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.55 ؋101

383.87%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$15.18 ؋985

3035.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,212 ؋78.7K

829.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$18.45 ؋1,197

237.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$15.17 ؋985

87.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$23.51 ؋1,526

301.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$30.62 ؋1,987

180.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$114 ؋7,424

525.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$45.97 ؋2,984

967.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$232 ؋15.0K

731.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$122 ؋7,933

1070.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$466 ؋30.3K

795.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$232 ؋15.1K

1211.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$185 ؋12.0K

170.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.88

-59.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Jalalabad

$46 9.2% 90.6% $445

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Jalalabad

$94 18.9% 64.7% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Jalalabad

$254 * 51% 104% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 67.6% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8% 68% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 86.7% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Jalalabad

$15 2.9% 79.4% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $114 in Jalalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $8 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $94 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

168,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Jalalabad 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $498 in Jalalabad – Jalalabad comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $746 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 183% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $8 in Jalalabad. 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 Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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