Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kabwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $567 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
Learn more

Kabwe Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kabwe

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $567 in Kabwe, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kabwe $567

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $899 in Kabwe, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kabwe $899

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,232 in Kabwe, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kabwe $1,232

Phuket costs about 125% more than Kabwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Kabwe are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kabwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.59 ZMW 113

-20.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$30.24 ZMW 611

7.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.03 ZMW 102

75.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.72 ZMW 55.0

4.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.76 ZMW 15.45

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.45 ZMW 9.14

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.25 ZMW 25.28

104.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.27 ZMW 45.82

62.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.66 ZMW 33.59

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.21 ZMW 24.53

20.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.09 ZMW 42.29

-28.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.18 ZMW 23.92

77.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.35 ZMW 209

84.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.43 ZMW 130

-48.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.41 ZMW 130

70.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.24 ZMW 65.5

-9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.95 ZMW 19.28

77.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.63 ZMW 73.3

-38.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.54 ZMW 31.04

35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.57 ZMW 51.9

-41.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.84 ZMW 37.19

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.13 ZMW 22.86

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.75 ZMW 15.07

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.03 ZMW 61.1

38.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.71 ZMW 196

93.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.40 ZMW 28.31

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.32 ZMW 46.77

22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.53 ZMW 51.1

19.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.48 ZMW 29.80

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.85 ZMW 97.9

-23.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.37 ZMW 27.59

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$7,409 ZMW 149.7K

261.42%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$27.2K ZMW 549.2K

-1.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$78.5 ZMW 1,586

22.71%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.37 ZMW 210

8.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$54.2 ZMW 1,095

-68.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.85 ZMW 118

28.21%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$137 ZMW 2,762

248.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$16.4K ZMW 331.1K

-31.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$22.90 ZMW 463

172.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$15.36 ZMW 310

84.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$44.90 ZMW 907

110.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$71.3 ZMW 1,441

20.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

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

-80.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kabwe: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kabwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kabwe

$224 39.6% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kabwe

$143 25.3% 15% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kabwe

$70 12.3% 43% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kabwe

$108 19.1% 11.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kabwe

$12 * 2.1% 85.8% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kabwe

$9.9 * 1.8% 86% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $30 in Kabwe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $224 – making Kabwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

117,517

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 20.2 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.51 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kabwe 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kabwe

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 Kabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 125% more than Kabwe, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $850 in Kabwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $30 in Kabwe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kabwe, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kabwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $567 in Kabwe to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.