Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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 Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $504 in Kabul.

Phuket $1,278
Kabul $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $683 in Kabul.

Phuket $2,216
Kabul $683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $862 in Kabul.

Phuket $3,154
Kabul $862

Living in Phuket is roughly 153% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kabul 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.70 ؋175

65.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$7.75 ؋503

318.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.68 ؋304

88.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.12 ؋72.4

152.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.48 ؋31.20

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.13 ؋8.66

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.82 ؋53.3

102.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.25 ؋16.30

484.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.79 ؋116

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.57 ؋102

33.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$4.39 ؋285

334.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.89 ؋252

-15.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.68 ؋434

63.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$0.68 ؋44.40

330.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.84 ؋54.7

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.94 ؋61.3

139.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.55 ؋35.87

278.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.61 ؋39.32

147.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.48 ؋30.95

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.30 ؋19.61

256.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.39 ؋25.52

33.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.43 ؋158

72.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.16 ؋10.13

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$20.62 ؋1,339

174.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.04 ؋132

48.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.48 ؋31.24

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.75 ؋178

34.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.08 ؋70.1

36.11%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$8,581 ؋557.2K

212.05%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$33.9K ؋2.2M

-21.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$42.52 ؋2,761

126.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.17 ؋855

-14.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$95.5 ؋6,201

-82.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$11.01 ؋715

510.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$4.01 ؋260

167.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.29 ؋149

227.51%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$19.86 ؋1,290

2296.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$1,052 ؋68.3K

971.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$10.53 ؋684

492.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$16.26 ؋1,056

74.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$58.5 ؋3,797

61.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$24.87 ؋1,615

244.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$122 ؋7,934

485.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$110 ؋7,172

344.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$220 ؋14.3K

774.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$114 ؋7,433

1149.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$669 ؋43.5K

523.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$355 ؋23.0K

758.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$339 ؋22.0K

48.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 77.5% $380

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 62.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kabul

$151 30% 21.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 59.3% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 57.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 81% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 63.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $122 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 48% 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 $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 64.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.28 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kabul 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $504 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 64% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $19.86 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.