Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Janub-as-surrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Janub-as-surrah: $1,192 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Janub-as-surrah
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Janub-as-surrah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Janub-as-surrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah.

Phuket $1,278
Janub-as-surrah $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,136 in Janub-as-surrah.

Phuket $2,216
Janub-as-surrah $2,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,080 in Janub-as-surrah.

Phuket $3,154
Janub-as-surrah $3,080

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Janub-as-surrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Janub-as-surrah 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.16 KWD 2.21

-37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$45.63 KWD 14.06

-28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.05 KWD 2.48

9.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 KWD 0.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KWD 0.89

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.68 KWD 1.44

-39.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.50 KWD 0.15

74.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.30 KWD 0.09

63.33%

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

$1.23 KWD 0.38

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.88 KWD 0.27

65.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.15 KWD 0.66

-30.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 KWD 0.69

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.56 KWD 1.41

318.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.76 KWD 1.78

-42.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.47 KWD 3.23

4.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.23 KWD 0.69

31.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.63 KWD 0.50

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.19 KWD 0.37

89.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.40 KWD 0.43

48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.45 KWD 0.45

4.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.04 KWD 0.32

32.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 KWD 0.15

10.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.69 KWD 0.83

56.13%

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

$0.91 KWD 0.28

59.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.90 KWD 0.89

4.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.08 KWD 0.95

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.76 KWD 5.48

-79.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.35 KWD 0.11

320.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$24.0K KWD 7,381

11.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$20.5K KWD 6,314

30.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$59.0 KWD 18.20

63.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.95 KWD 6.46

-46.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$26.53 KWD 8.18

-36.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$83.8 KWD 25.82

-19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.02 KWD 3.09

-25.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$240 KWD 73.9

98.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,958 KWD 2,453

41.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$32.95 KWD 10.16

89.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$44.25 KWD 13.64

-35.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$109 KWD 33.52

-13.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$84.9 KWD 26.18

1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$806 KWD 248

-11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$533 KWD 164

-7.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,847 KWD 569

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,515 KWD 467

-5.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Janub-as-surrah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Janub-as-surrah

$533 44.8% 8.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Janub-as-surrah

$164 13.7% 38.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Janub-as-surrah

$107 8.9% 14.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Janub-as-surrah

$122 10.2% 0% $0

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Janub-as-surrah

$141 11.8% 15.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Janub-as-surrah

$104 8.7% 26.3% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Janub-as-surrah

$22 * 1.8% 69% $49

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 $806 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $46 in Janub-as-surrah. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $164, with Janub-as-surrah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Janub-as-surrah

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

18,496

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Janub-as-surrah 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Janub-as-surrah wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Janub-as-surrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,788 in Janub-as-surrah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $806 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% 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 $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah – Janub-as-surrah is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Janub-as-surrah is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Janub-as-surrah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.